In a lawsuit against Donald Trump's government, Minnesota has attempted to halt increased immigration enforcement by United States' federal agencies. The recent shooting death of 37-year-old Renee Good from Minneapolis at the hands of a federal officer has resulted in outrage and protest across the US, leading Minnesota to file the action.
What the lawsuit claims
The state and the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul) are alleging that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has violated the First Amendment as well as several other provisions of the Constitution.
Additionally, the lawsuit requests a temporary restraining order be issued to prevent the enforcement action from continuing until such time as a ruling can be made.
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"This is, in essence, a federal invasion of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, and it must stop," state Attorney-General Keith Ellison said at a news conference.
"These poorly trained, aggressive and armed agents of the federal state have terrorised Minnesota with widespread unlawful conduct," Ellison added.
According to the complaint, the administration has not engaged in targeted enforcement of violators, but rather has relied on "conducting job site and business raids and detaining or deporting violators while they are providing essential services to Plaintiffs' Communities".
DHS agents may also have been conducting sweeps and arresting persons based upon their race/ethnicity on their routes, as stated in the complaint.
Federal surge has had negative impact on schools
The complaint alleged that the federal surge has had a negative effect on local schools and businesses in the City of Minneapolis, and the State of Minnesota's department of Human Services (DHS) is violating Minnesota State Law by conducting Immigration enforcement operations on state property.
This lawsuit requests that the Court issue a preliminary injunction barring the DHS from arresting anyone unless there is "probable cause" that they have committed a crime and also asks the Court to prohibit the DHS from threatening to use physical force or brandishing a weapon.
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This lawsuit seeks to prevent federal agents from "pointing a firearm at someone who is not an immediate threat of death or serious bodily injury to another individual".
DHS pledging to deploy over 2K officers
Homeland Security is pledging to put more than 2,000 immigration officers into Minnesota and says it has made more than 2,000 arrests since December.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has called the surge its largest enforcement operation ever.
'Protecting public'
The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) response to the lawsuit is that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is putting "politics before public safety".
According to DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, "President Trump has a responsibility to protect Americans and to uphold the law, no matter who the Mayor, Governor or State Attorney General may be".
McLaughlin continued, "The Trump administration is meeting this responsibility as the Constitution supports the administration's right to do so and we will demonstrate this in court."
