January 15, 2026 – Saint Paul, Minnesota. The state of Minnesota, together with the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration over what officials describe as an unprecedented and unconstitutional surge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. 

The lawsuit, announced by Attorney General Keith Ellison on January 12, seeks to halt the deployment of thousands of federal immigration officers in the Twin Cities, which state leaders say has terrorized immigrant communities and violated constitutional rights.

The legal action comes in the wake of the death of Renee Good, a mother of three who was shot in Minneapolis during an ICE operation last week. The incident has intensified criticism of the administration’s immigration crackdown, which Ellison and local officials argue is politically motivated and amounts to a “federal invasion.” 

“We are asking the court to declare this surge unconstitutional and unlawful. It violates the First and Tenth Amendments, the Equal Sovereignty Principle, and the Administrative Procedure Act,” Ellison said in a press release.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, the operation—dubbed “Operation Metro Surge”—has already resulted in more than 2,000 arrests in Minneapolis since December, making it the largest ICE enforcement action ever conducted in Minnesota. Federal officials claim the surge is necessary to ramp up deportations and restore immigration control, but state leaders insist the raids have destabilized communities and undermined trust in law enforcement.

Illinois has joined Minnesota in filing a similar lawsuit, highlighting what both states describe as a pattern of federal overreach in Democratic strongholds. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker condemned the raids as “unchecked federal agents aggressively assaulting and terrorizing our communities.”

The Minnesota lawsuit names Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and several immigration officials as respondents. It asks the federal court to issue a temporary restraining order to immediately stop the raids while the case is being heard. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter have both backed the lawsuit, saying the raids have created fear among immigrant families and disrupted local governance.

The case is expected to heighten tensions between the Trump administration and Democratic-led states, with immigration enforcement once again at the center of national debate. Legal experts note that the lawsuit could set a precedent for how far federal authorities can go in deploying immigration agents without state consent.

For now, Minnesota officials remain firm in their stance. “We will not allow our communities to be terrorized. We will fight this in court and we will protect our residents,” Ellison declared.

Law and Order, or Law Without Order

Federal officials say the ICE surge in Minneapolis restores law and order. Local leaders say it has done the opposite. More than 2,000 arrests since December have shaken neighborhoods, chilled cooperation with police, and ended in the fatal shooting of Renee Good during an enforcement operation.

That outcome matters. Order is not just arrests tallied or deportations accelerated. It is trust, predictability, and safety. Minnesota argues the operation violates constitutional limits and bypasses state consent. The Trump administration calls it necessary enforcement.

Both cannot be true at the same time. Stability collapses when force replaces cooperation and communities stop calling for help. That cost is visible in Minneapolis neighborhoods. So who pays the price when control is pursued without restraint?

Image from Steele County Times