In brief
The federal government's aggressive immigration enforcement in Minnesota, particularly in the Twin Cities, has triggered a surge of local outrage and legal challenges. Grand jury subpoenas were served to various state officials, including Governor Tim Walz, as part of a probe into potential obstruction of immigration laws. The controversy follows the tragic death of Renee Good, raising critical discussions about the implications of federal actions and local responses.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — As confrontations with federal officers over their massive immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota showed no signs of stopping Wednesday, legal battles over the surge and the local response were also intensifying.
Federal prosecutors served grand jury subpoenas Tuesday to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s office and five other officials in the state as part of an investigation into whether they obstructed or impeded law enforcement during a sweeping immigration operation in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, a person familiar with the matter said.
The subpoenas, which seek records, were also sent to the offices of Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, and officials in Ramsey and Hennepin counties. The person was not authorized to publicly discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The subpoenas came a day after the government urged a judge to reject efforts to stop the immigration enforcement surge that has roiled Minneapolis and St. Paul for weeks. The Justice Department called the state’s lawsuit, filed soon after the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an immigration officer, “legally frivolous.” Ellison has said the government is violating free speech and other constitutional rights.
Vice President JD Vance is expected to travel to Minneapolis on Thursday for a roundtable with local leaders and community members, according to sources familiar with his plans who spoke on condition of anonymity because the trip had not yet been officially announced.
Mayor: Subpoenas are to stoke fear
The subpoenas are part of an investigation into whether Minnesota officials obstructed federal immigration enforcement through public statements. They focus on the potential violation of a conspiracy statute. In a subpoena released by Frey’s office, the documents required include any records showing a refusal to aid immigration officials.
Frey said: “We shouldn’t have to live in a country where people fear that federal law enforcement will be used to play politics or crack down on local voices they disagree with.”
The governor’s office referred reporters to a statement earlier Tuesday in which Walz said the Trump administration was not seeking justice, only creating distractions.
Hard to track arrests
Greg Bovino of U.S. Border Patrol, who has commanded the Trump administration’s big-city immigration crackdown, stated that over 10,000 undocumented individuals have been arrested in Minnesota in the past year, including 3,000 identified as “dangerous offenders” during the ongoing Operation Metro Surge.
Julia Decker, policy director at the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, expressed frustration that advocates have no way of knowing the accuracy of the government’s arrest numbers and descriptions of those in custody.
Good, 37, was killed on Jan. 7 while moving her vehicle, which had been blocking a street where ICE officers were operating. Trump administration officials assert that the officer shot her in self-defense, although videos indicate the vehicle was slowly turning away from him.
Following this incident, public confrontations with officers have escalated, with protesters blowing whistles and yelling insults at ICE and Border Patrol agents, who have used tear gas and chemical irritants in response. Videos have surfaced showing agents using a battering ram to enter a home, smashing vehicle windows, and dragging individuals out of cars.
Bovino defended his agents, stating their actions are “legal, ethical and moral.”
Pastor says protesters invaded church
A Minnesota church targeted by an anti-ICE protest on Sunday condemned the action as unlawful. Approximately three dozen protesters entered Cities Church in St. Paul, some approaching the pulpit. “Invading a church service to disrupt worship is protected by neither the Christian Scriptures nor the laws of this nation,” the church’s pastor, Jonathan Parnell, stated.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described the protesters as “agitators” in a post and warned, “arrests are coming.” Activist and lawyer Nekima Levy Armstrong called for the resignation of a pastor employed by ICE, emphasizing a “fundamental moral conflict” in his dual roles.
