State officials in Minnesota have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over a broad immigration enforcement operation unfolding across the Minneapolis region. The legal action was submitted Monday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota and comes shortly after a fatal incident involving federal immigration enforcement. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Macklin Good while she was inside her vehicle blocking a roadway during the enforcement surge.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison addressed the situation during a press conference, stating that federal agents involved in the operation have arrested peaceful bystanders, detained U.S. citizens, and deployed chemical irritants against demonstrators and others engaged in activity protected under the First Amendment. According to Ellison, some of these incidents occurred near sensitive locations, including outside a local high school. The lawsuit seeks a court order requiring the Trump administration to end what state officials describe as an unlawful immigration crackdown within Minnesota.
The complaint alleges that the federal government has carried out what it characterizes as aggressive and unconstitutional tactics. “Thousands of armed and masked DHS agents have stormed the Twin Cities to conduct militarized raids and carry out dangerous, illegal, and unconstitutional stops and arrests in sensitive public places, including schools and hospitals—all under the guise of lawful immigration enforcement,” the lawsuit states. It further claims that immigration agents have engaged in racial profiling during these operations.
The Department of Homeland Security rejected those allegations. In a statement, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin accused Ellison of “prioritizing politics over public safety” and denied claims of racial profiling. McLaughlin said that law enforcement actions are based on reasonable suspicion, adding, “Law enforcement uses ‘reasonable suspicion’ to make arrests, as protected under the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.” She also defended the administration’s approach, saying, “President Trump’s job is to protect the American people and enforce the law — no matter who your mayor, governor, or state attorney general is. That’s what the Trump administration is doing; we have the Constitution on our side on this, and we look forward to proving that in court.”
More than 2,000 federal immigration agents are currently operating in Minnesota, with officials indicating that the number could continue to rise. On Monday, an NPR reporter observed immigration agents driving throughout Minneapolis and questioning individuals about their immigration status, including in the parking lots of large retail stores. Witnesses reported agents asking questions such as, “Are you a green card holder? Do you have it on you?”
One of the individuals questioned was Joel Keleekai, who was approached while charging his Tesla in a parking lot. Border Patrol agents questioned Keleekai and other drivers who were also charging their vehicles. All of the individuals questioned were people of color, and all were ultimately able to demonstrate they were legally in the United States after providing documentation. Keleekai, a permanent U.S. resident, told NPR that he was not surprised by the encounter given the number of immigration agents deployed across the state and the amount of time he spends driving.
“We don’t want this to escalate. As you see, ICE is going around and people are getting killed,” Keleekai said. “We just gotta do our best out here to make sure that we live to see tomorrow.”
McLaughlin responded to such accounts by stating that Immigration and Customs Enforcement does not conduct random arrests or operations without specific objectives. “ICE does not randomly arrest people or conduct operations without specific objectives. Nor does federal law enforcement execute operations without undergoing proper procedure, such as securing warrants when necessary,” she said.
Observers have noted that these enforcement tactics differ from past approaches. Historically, immigration agencies focused on targeted operations, but the Trump administration appears to have broadened its methods. In Minnesota, the current enforcement push has been described as particularly aggressive. Vice President JD Vance said during a recent press conference that immigration agents were also going door to door in efforts to locate undocumented immigrants.
The intensified enforcement has prompted strong reactions from local officials and residents in Minneapolis. Community members have organized group chats to track immigration agents’ movements, with some following agents in vehicles, honking horns, and alerting neighbors to ICE activity while also informing migrants of their rights.
In another incident observed by an NPR reporter, a man on his way to work was briefly detained and questioned about his legal status. The man, identified only by his initials M.A. due to safety concerns, said he was born in Somalia but is a U.S. citizen. He was released after the encounter. “I know my rights here — I’m a U.S. citizen, I’m legal here, I’ve been over 25 years here,” M.A. said.
Conditions across the Minneapolis area appeared tense and disorganized on Monday, with immigration agents operating in numerous locations and often traveling in unmarked vehicles. One particularly tense encounter occurred in south Minneapolis when a vehicle driven by immigration officers rear-ended a resident’s car. An NPR reporter arrived shortly after the incident and observed damage to the rear left side of the vehicle.
The driver, Christian Molina, told NPR that he and his wife Lorena, both U.S. citizens, were driving separate cars to a mechanic when he noticed immigration agents interacting with another individual. Molina said he looked at the agents, after which they began chasing him. “They don’t have a reason to stop me, they are not the police,” Molina said in Spanish.
After the collision, Molina said agents repeatedly questioned him about his immigration status. He declined to provide identification, stating that he would only present his driver’s license if Minneapolis Police officers were present. According to Molina, the agents eventually left after running his license plate and confirming his identity. Lorena Molina said she was frightened during the incident. “I felt like I had the need to talk to the officers and say, ‘Hey, please ignore whatever he’s saying, let him live!’” she said. Christian Molina later said, “They are abusing their power.”
Minnesota is not alone in its legal challenge. On the same day, Illinois and the city of Chicago filed their own lawsuit against the Trump administration in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. Chicago officials and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul accused federal immigration authorities of unlawful conduct. In a news release, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said, “The Trump administration has repeatedly violated the law and undermined public trust. These actions weren’t just unlawful; they were cruel, needlessly inflicting fear and harm on our communities.”
That lawsuit alleges that federal immigration agents have questioned residents about their citizenship without reasonable suspicion, conducted civil immigration arrests without warrants or probable cause, and used tear gas and other chemical agents without warning against individuals who were not resisting, according to the city’s statement.
