Federal judge denies bid to end ICE Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota
Protestors march during a “Nationwide Shutdown” demonstration against ICE enforcement on Jan. 30, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Stephen Maturen | Getty Images
A Federal judge on Saturday rejected a request from state officials to immediately halt the federal immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota.
The court said the plaintiffs — the State of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul — failed to provide sufficient evidence to justify the use of an emergency order to immediately halt U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in the state.
The crackdown on immigration enforcement by federal agents in Minnesota “has had, and will likely continue to have, profound and even heartbreaking consequences,” U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez said in the ruling.
Menendez did not issue a decision on whether the activity itself was lawful. Rather, she said that the plaintiffs failed to meet the standard required for an emergency order to stop activity immediately, according to the ruling.
The decision comes amid widespread protests and backlash against federal immigration enforcement activity in the state, especially after fatal shootings by immigration agents in Minneapolis resulting in the deaths of U.S. citizens Renée Good and Alex Pretti.
Attorney General Pam Bondi called the ruling “HUGE.” “Neither sanctuary policies nor meritless litigation will stop the Trump Administration from enforcing federal law in Minnesota,” she said in a post on X.
