Bill of Rights put to the test over Trump's immigration crackdown in Minnesota

In and out of court, more than half of the amendments in the Bill of Rights are being fought over as a result of Trump’s immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota.

In and out of court, more than half of the amendments enshrined in the Bill of Rights are being fought over as a direct result of President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota.

In his second term, Trump and his administration have been aggressive in stretching the boundaries of political conventions, resulting in a number of court challenges. Trump’s push to eliminate birthright citizenship, freeze federal funds and bypass Congress through executive orders have tested the separation of powers.

The Twin Cities campaign, though, has been a flashpoint, with fights over at least six — the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and 10th — of the first 10 amendments. Conservative-leaning scholars see both lawyers and judges overstepping their bounds in fiery filings and opinions, while liberal-leaning counterparts see a notable disregard by the Trump administration for Bill of Rights provisions.

“You could teach a great constitutional law seminar about the Bill of Rights just through the violations that have taken place in Minneapolis alone,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., a former constitutional law professor. “There have been massive violations of the civil rights of minority groups in the past, like Native Americans and African Americans and Asian Americans, but it is hard to sum up any historical analogy to the systematic violation of all of the fundamental constitutional rights of the people in such a comprehensive and indiscriminate way.”

Randy Barnett, director of the Georgetown Center for the Constitution, said he saw the battle over the Bill of Rights in Minneapolis as “unprecedented” for how many far-fetched claims he believes advocates have made that have gained traction with district court judges.