Judge rejects Minnesota bid to block federal immigration agent surge

A federal judge denied Minnesota’s bid to block a surge of immigration agents in the Twin Cities, saying the state failed to prove legal overreach.

A federal judge on Saturday denied Minnesota’s emergency request to halt a surge of federal immigration enforcement agents in the Twin Cities region.

U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez said her ruling does not make a final determination on the state’s claim that the federal government has overstepped its authority. She also stressed the decision was not a ruling on the legality of specific actions taken by federal agents.

Menendez wrote that granting the injunction would “harm the federal government’s efforts to enforce federal immigration laws.”

RELATED STORY | 'No way' he ran into a wall: Nurses say ICE story on injuries doesn’t add up

“The Court must view plaintiffs’ claims through the lens of the specific legal framework they invoke, and, having done so, finds that plaintiffs have not met their burden,” she wrote.