Minnesota sues Trump administration over ICE operations in light of Renee Good's killing

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Minnesota filed a lawsuit against the federal government on Monday, January 12 to stop the deployment of immigration officers in the state.

The lawsuit was announced in a press conference led by Attorney General Keith Ellison, who said that the Federal government was targeting his state and said that it was in violation of the Constitution.

He alleged that the Department of Homeland Security’s use of “excessive and lethal force” was in “violation of the Administrative Procedures Act on arbitrary and capricious federal actions.”

Kevin Ellison says DHS agents have done Minnesota serious harm

During the press conference, the Attorney General spoke about how the presence of armed DHS agents had negatively impacted the state. He called the presence of ICE agents in his state a federal invasion of the Twin Cities and of Minnesota itself.

“It must stop. This surge has made us less safe,” Ellison alleged.

As he criticized the presence of ICE agents in Minnesota, he said that they were making illegal arrests and using excessive force. Explaining further, the Attorney General stated that the armed DHS agents had previously barged into a restaurant and demanded access to a restricted area without a search warrant.

Ellison alleged that when they were asked to present the warrant, they claimed that they didn’t need one.

AC Thompson, a reporter from PBS Frontline, who was present at the press conference alleged that his crew had been pepper-sprayed by ICE agents. Ellison told Thompson to file a report to ensure that people were aware of the atrocities committed by ICE agents.

“The press is protected by the First Amendment and is vitally important in this moment when freedom of the press and every First Amendment right is under a threat,” Ellison added. 

Ellison claims Minnesota’s immigrant population stands at 1.5%

The Somali population in Minnesota has been a thorn in the bush for the federal government after a years-long fraud scandal found many from the community involved.

During the press conference, the Attorney General chimed in on the presence of noncitizen immigrants in Minnesota and said that the population stood at just 1.5%, adding that it was “half the national average.”

He added that other states, such as Utah, Texas, and Florida had higher numbers in terms of immigration population but suggested that the Trump administration was targeting Minnesota due to political bias.

“Donald Trump doesn’t seem to like our state very much,” he added. 

Homeland Security to deploy hundreds of ICE agents in Minneapolis

The Minnesota lawsuit was filed days after the killing of Renee Nicole Good on Wednesday, January 7. The fatal shooting resulted in widespread protests across Minnesota, and to tackle the same, Kristi Noem, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Department said that the agency would send hundreds more agents to the state on Sunday.

The mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, slammed DHS for the deployment of the ICE agent who killed Good, as well as for “invading” the state by sending more ICE and Border Patrol units to his state, a day before the lawsuit was filed.