A federal judge in Minnesota has ruled that immigration enforcement officers in the Minneapolis area must refrain from detaining or using tear gas on peaceful protesters who are not obstructing their activities, even if these individuals are present to observe the agents’ actions. This decision comes amid the largest recent immigration enforcement operation in the region.

The ruling from U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez stems from a lawsuit filed in December by six Minnesota activists. These individuals are part of a larger group monitoring Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol activities, which have intensified under the Trump administration’s immigration policies in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

Tensions between federal agents and demonstrators have been high since the enforcement operation began. The situation escalated significantly following the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an immigration agent on January 7. Good was shot in the head while driving away from a scene in Minneapolis, and the incident was captured on video from multiple angles.

In the wake of these events, numerous individuals in the Twin Cities have experienced brief detentions or arrests by federal agents, highlighting the ongoing conflict between law enforcement and community members.

The confrontations escalated after an immigration agent fatally shot Renee Good in the head on Jan. 7 as she drove away from a scene in Minneapolis, an incident that was captured on video from several angles. Agents have arrested or briefly detained many people in the Twin Cities.

The activists in the case are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, which says government officers are violating the constitutional rights of Twin Cities residents.

After the ruling, US Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement saying her agency was taking “appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters.”

She said people have assaulted officers, vandalized their vehicles and federal property, and attempted to impede officers from doing their work.

“We remind the public that rioting is dangerous — obstructing law enforcement is a federal crime and assaulting law enforcement is a felony,” McLaughlin said.

The ACLU didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment Friday night.

The ruling prohibits the officers from detaining drivers and passengers in vehicles when there is no reasonable suspicion they are obstructing or interfering with the officers.

Safely following agents “at an appropriate distance does not, by itself, create reasonable suspicion to justify a vehicle stop,” the ruling said.

Menendez said the agents would not be allowed to arrest people without probable cause or reasonable suspicion the person has committed a crime or was obstructing or interfering with the activities of officers.

Menendez is also presiding over a lawsuit filed Monday by the state of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul seeking to suspend the enforcement crackdown, and some of the legal issues are similar.

She declined at a hearing Wednesday to grant the state’s request for an immediate temporary restraining order in that case.

“What we need most of all right now is a pause. The temperature needs to be lowered,” state Assistant Attorney General Brian Carter told her.

Menendez said the issues raised by the state and cities in that case are “enormously important.”

But she said it raises high-level constitutional and other legal issues, and for some of those issues there are few on-point precedents. So she ordered both sides to file more briefs next week.