A United States judge decided this Saturday (31) to maintain the federal immigration enforcement operation “Metro Surge” what mobilized thousands of agents to the cities of Minneapolis e St. Paul and resulted in the deaths of two citizens in the state of Minnesota.
The cities sued federal authorities earlier this month, calling the immigration enforcement operation a “federal invasion” that involved warrantless arrests and excessive force.
The operation, allegedly aimed at illegal immigrantstriggered weeks of escalating tensions between city officials and the federal government, as well as heated clashes on the streets of Minneapolis.
The US Department of Homeland Security celebrated the decision, calling it “a victory for public safety and public order” in a statement to CNN this Saturday (31).
The Trump administration claimed the lawsuit was an abuse of power. “Simply put, Minnesota wants veto power over the application of federal law,” he said in a court filing.
In the decision in favor of the federal operation, the judge noted evidence that federal agents practiced racial discrimination, . She also highlighted the negative impacts of the operation across the state, such as spending resources on police overtime and a sharp drop in school attendance.
However, the official emphasized that the damage from the operation should be weighed against the Trump administration’s efforts to enforce immigration law. According to Menendez, it was unlikely that an action to suspend immigration enforcement activities would be successful.
She pointed out that another “much more restricted” injunction, which prevented federal agents involved in Operation Metro Surge from arrest or detain against them, it was annulled.
“If that injunction went too far, then the one at issue here – which seeks to halt the entire operation – certainly would too,” she wrote.
Mayor Jacob Frey said he and city officials were “disappointed” with the decision.
“This decision does not change what people here have experienced — fear, disruption and harm caused by a federal operation that should never have occurred in Minneapolis,” the mayor said in the press release.
The city will continue the legal process “to hold the Trump administration accountable,” the statement said.
