Federal judge denies bid to end ICE Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota
Protesters march during a “Nationwide Shutdown” demonstration against ICE enforcement on January 30, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Stephen Olgunen | Getty Images
A federal judge on Saturday rejected a request by state officials to immediately halt federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota.
The court said the plaintiffs—the State of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul—failed to provide sufficient evidence to justify using an emergency order to immediately halt U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities in the state.
U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez said the crackdown on immigration enforcement by federal agents in Minnesota “has had, and will likely continue to have, profound and even heartbreaking consequences.” said in the decision.
Menendez did not rule on whether the activity was legal. Instead, the ruling said the plaintiffs failed to meet the standard required for an emergency order to immediately halt activity.
The decision comes at a time of widespread protests and backlash against federal immigration enforcement activities in the state, particularly in the wake of deadly shootings by immigration officers in Minneapolis that resulted in the deaths of U.S. citizens Renée Good and Alex Pretti.
Attorney General Pam Bondi called the decision “BIG.” “Neither asylum policies nor false lawsuits will stop the Trump Administration from enforcing federal law in Minnesota,” he said in a speech. to mail In X.
