Judge says she won’t halt immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota : NPR

A photo of Renee Good is displayed in front of a home in Minneapolis on Saturday, January 31, 2026.

Alex Brandon/AP

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Alex Brandon/AP

MINNEAPOLIS — A federal judge says she won’t block immigration enforcement increases in Minnesota and the Twin Cities as a lawsuit over it moves forward.

Judge Katherine M. Menendez on Saturday rejected a preliminary injunction sought in a lawsuit filed this month by state Attorney General Keith Ellison and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

It argued that the Department of Homeland Security was violating constitutional protections. The lawsuit sought an urgent injunction to halt the enforcement action or limit its scope. US Justice Department lawyers have described the lawsuit as “legally frivolous”.

The ruling on the injunction focuses on Minnesota officials’ argument that the federal government is violating the 10th Amendment to the Constitution, which limits the federal government’s powers to infringe on the sovereignty of states. In his decision, the judge relied heavily on whether that argument was likely to ultimately succeed in court.

The federal government argued that the surge, called Operation Metro Surge, is necessary in its effort to get criminal immigrants off the streets and because federal efforts have been hindered by state and local “sanctuary laws and policies.” State and local officials argued that the increase was retaliation after the federal government’s initial efforts to block federal funding to try to force immigration cooperation failed.

“Because there is evidence supporting both sides’ arguments regarding motivation and the relative merits of each side’s competing position are unclear, the Court is reluctant to find that the factor of likelihood of success is sufficient to favor granting a preliminary injunction.”

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi praised the verdict on social media on Saturday, calling it “another major” legal victory for the Justice Department over X.

Federal officers have fatally shot two people on the streets of Minneapolis: Renee Good on January 7 and Alex Pretty on January 24.