A federal judge on Saturday declined to temporarily block the Trump administration’s deployment of thousands of federal immigration enforcement agents to Minnesota, allowing the operation to continue as a legal challenge moves forward.
U.S. District Judge Katherine M. Menendez denied a request for a preliminary injunction sought by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, along with the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The lawsuit, filed earlier this month, aims to halt what the federal government has dubbed “Operation Metro Surge,” a large-scale immigration enforcement effort involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
In a detailed 30-page ruling, Menendez acknowledged that the plaintiffs raised serious concerns about the operation’s effects on the state and its residents. She wrote that they made a strong showing that the surge has had “profound and even heartbreaking, consequences on the State of Minnesota, the Twin Cities, and Minnesotans.” According to the ruling, multiple Minnesota residents have been shot by federal immigration agents since the operation began.
Menendez also cited evidence suggesting troubling conduct by federal officers. “Additionally, there is evidence that ICE and CBP agents have engaged in racial profiling, excessive use of force, and other harmful actions,” she wrote. She further noted that the federal government did little at this stage to rebut claims of widespread disruption, including increased police overtime costs, declining school attendance, delayed emergency responses, and significant hardship for small businesses.
Despite these findings, Menendez concluded that the high legal bar for a preliminary injunction had not been met. She emphasized that courts must weigh not only the alleged harms to plaintiffs but also the consequences of blocking federal action. “The Eighth Circuit has recently reiterated that entry of an injunction barring the federal government from enforcing federal law imposes significant harm on the government,” she wrote, adding that “those are not the only harms to be considered.”
Central to the lawsuit is Minnesota’s claim that Operation Metro Surge violates the 10th Amendment’s anti-commandeering doctrine, which limits the federal government’s ability to compel states to carry out federal programs. The plaintiffs argue that the surge forces Minnesota to divert state and local law enforcement resources and pressures cities to abandon so-called sanctuary policies.
Menendez ruled that Ellison is unlikely to succeed on that claim, writing that the plaintiffs were asking the court to apply existing precedent to a new and less direct context. “Plaintiffs ask the Court to extend existing precedent to a new context where its application is less direct — namely, to an unprecedented deployment of armed federal immigration officers to aggressively enforce immigration statutes,” she wrote. “None of the cases on which they rely have even come close.”
The judge, an appointee of former President Biden, also noted that she is constrained by recent appellate guidance. She referenced an appeals court decision earlier this week that paused a separate injunction she had issued in another case involving ICE tactics during protests. “If that injunction went too far, then the one at issue here—halting the entire operation—certainly would,” Menendez wrote.
Minnesota has become a focal point in President Trump’s broader immigration crackdown, particularly in Democratic-led cities. First announced in December, Operation Metro Surge involves roughly 3,000 ICE and CBP personnel, according to the federal government.
Tensions surrounding the operation have intensified following the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti last weekend, marking the second time this month that a U.S. citizen was shot and killed by federal agents in Minnesota. Ellison and the cities filed their lawsuit before Pretti’s death, but the judge considered the case at a hearing earlier this week.
The Trump administration celebrated the ruling. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi called it “another HUGE” legal victory, writing on X that “Neither sanctuary policies nor meritless litigation will stop the Trump Administration from enforcing federal law in Minnesota.” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described the decision as “a win for public safety and law and order.”
Local officials reacted differently. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he was “disappointed” and pledged to continue the legal fight, arguing that the operation has caused fear and disruption without improving public safety. “Today’s decision is just one step in this lawsuit,” Frey said, adding that the city will keep pursuing the case.
