MINNEAPOLIS — In response to the fatal shooting of Renee Good on January 7, Minnesota has initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to compel Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to vacate the state.

On Monday afternoon, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, alongside Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, announced the lawsuit during a press briefing. They have also filed for a temporary restraining order to either halt or restrict ICE’s operations within the state.

The legal complaint argues that Operation Metro Surge breaches federal statutes, describing it as arbitrary and capricious. It claims an unequal application of enforcement, as similar measures have not been taken in other states. While the federal government asserts the operation targets fraud, the lawsuit contends that ICE lacks the necessary expertise to address fraud in government programs.

“With a non-citizen immigrant population of just 1.5%, Minnesota’s figures are significantly lower than states like Utah, Texas, and Florida,” Ellison highlighted at the briefing. “Yet, we face an influx of federal agents unlike those states, threatening the safety of our communities.”

The lawsuit claims the federal government is really targeting Minnesota over politics, which it says is a violation of the First Amendment.

Ellison previously asked residents to submit any evidence tied to the ICE shooting and called for the FBI to work with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension after the federal agency cut state officials off from the investigation. The decision meant the state agency does not have access to evidence, witnesses or agent testimony. 

Earlier in the day, federal officers fired tear gas Monday to break up a crowd of whistle-blowing bystanders in Minneapolis who showed up to see the aftermath of a car crash involving immigration agents, just a few blocks from where Good was fatally shot last week.

A crowd emerged to witness a man being questioned by agents who had rear-ended his car. Agents used tear gas to try to break up the group, then drove off as people screamed, “cowards!”

Mayor Frey also called for a joint investigation involving the state agency during a recent appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” saying an FBI-only probe lacks transparency. He also demanded that ICE agents leave Minneapolis just hours after Good was shot in the head and killed while driving her SUV, saying the agency was only creating more chaos in the community rather than ensuring safety.

“You can’t indiscriminately take people off our streets,” Frey said at Monday’s press conference. “You cannot drag pregnant women through the snow. You’re not allowed to take teenagers out of their car and detain them when they are, in fact, American citizens. That is against the law in every state. That is against our United States Constitution.”

Several protests and marches happened in the days following Good’s killing, both in Minneapolis and in numerous other cities throughout the nation. A memorial set up near the scene of the shooting has also given numerous visitors a space to mourn.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.