Minnesota, along with the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday. They aim to halt an extensive federal immigration enforcement operation that, according to the lawsuit, has overwhelmed the Twin Cities with armed federal agents. The presence of these agents has reportedly instilled fear, caused public unrest, and disrupted local and state authorities, as outlined in the court documents.

The lawsuit specifically targets Kristi Noem, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), along with high-ranking officials from DHS, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Among those named are Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons and Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, as well as the federal agencies themselves.

During a press briefing on Monday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced the legal action, stating, “We’re here to file a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to stop the unlawful, unprecedented surge of federal law enforcement agents into Minnesota.” Ellison contended that Minnesota is being targeted due to its diversity, democratic values, and differing views from the federal government, arguing that this violates both the Constitution and federal law.

Ellison further explained that the deployment of thousands of armed, masked DHS agents in Minnesota has caused significant harm to the state. He described the situation as a “federal invasion” of the Twin Cities and the broader state, calling for an immediate cessation of these actions.

The legal action by Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul seeks to put an end to what they view as an excessive immigration enforcement surge orchestrated by ICE and DHS.

The plaintiffs accuse federal immigration agents of carrying out militarized raids across the Twin Cities, including stops at schools and hospitals, engaging in racial profiling, warrantless arrests and excessive force, and overwhelming local law enforcement, while claiming the operation was politically motivated retaliation rather than legitimate immigration enforcement.

“DHS agents have sown chaos and terror across the metropolitan area,” Ellison said. “Schools have gone [into] lockdown. Entire districts have had to cancel school for tens of thousands of students to ensure safety and offer online education.”

“Local businesses are struggling,” he added. “Revenues are down, and some retail stores, daycares and restaurants have actually closed because people are afraid to go out.”

The lawsuit comes nearly a week after an ICE agent shot and killed a 37-year-old Minneapolis woman during a federal enforcement operation in south Minneapolis. Federal officials have said agents were attempting to make arrests when the woman tried to use her vehicle as a weapon against officers, prompting an ICE agent to fire in self-defense.

Renee Nicole Good, moments before she was shot and killed by a federal agent in Minneapolis.  (Obtained by Fox News)

“On January 7, 2026, a DHS agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, leaving her children without a mother and her 6-year-old son without either parent,” Ellison said. “This has to stop… it never should have started.”

Ellison said the scope and scale of the federal operation has strained public safety resources and disrupted daily life across the Twin Cities.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the enforcement surge goes far beyond traditional immigration operations and has made communities less safe.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey speaks to the media at City Hall on Jan. 9. (Aaron Lavinsky/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)

“What we are seeing right now is not normal immigration enforcement,” Frey said. “The scale is wildly disproportionate, and it has nothing to do with keeping people safe.”

The Trump administration pushed back sharply against the lawsuit, with DHS accusing Minnesota leaders of undermining public safety and obstructing federal law enforcement.

“Keith Ellison made it abundantly clear today he is prioritizing politics over public safety,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. “It really is astounding that the Left can miraculously rediscover the Tenth Amendment when they don’t want federal law enforcement officers to enforce federal law – which is a clear federal responsibility under Article I, Article II and the Supremacy Clause – and then go right back to federalizing every state responsibility possible when they get back in power. Spare us.”

Federal agents shoot pepper balls at protesters outside during an anti-ICE demonstration in Minneapolis on Jan. 11, 2026. (Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“Sanctuary politicians like Ellison are the exact reason that DHS surged to Minnesota in the first place,” McLaughlin continued. “If he, Tim Walz, or Jacob Frey had just done their sworn duty to protect the people of Minnesota they are supposed to serve to root out fraud and get criminals off the street – if they had worked with us to do it – we wouldn’t be having this conversation in the first place.”

McLaughlin cited multiple examples of criminal illegal aliens she said Minnesota leaders are protecting, including individuals convicted of rape, child sexual assault, kidnapping, homicide and other violent crimes, some with final orders of removal dating back decades.

Among them, she highlighted a man from Laos who she said was convicted of strongarm sodomy of a boy, strongarm sodomy of a girl, aggravated sex offenses, multiple counts of larceny and fraud, burglary, drug possession and obstruction of justice, and who received a final order of removal in March 2018.

McLaughlin said other examples included criminal illegal aliens from Laos, Guatemala, Somalia, Sudan, Burma and Sierra Leone, with convictions ranging from sexual assault and homicide to DUI-related deaths, and final orders of removal dating as far back as August 1996.