Minnesota Sues the Trump Administration, Alleging an Unprecedented “Federal Invasion”

MINNEAPOLIS — The State of Minnesota, joined by its two largest cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul, filed a federal lawsuit on Monday against the Trump administration, accusing the federal government of carrying out a militarized, unconstitutional immigration enforcement campaign motivated by political retaliation and in violation of the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Minnesota, challenges a campaign known as Operation Metro Surge, under which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has deployed thousands of federal agents — including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and Border Patrol agents — into the Twin Cities area since late 2025. According to the plaintiffs, the operation is not a legitimate immigration enforcement effort but rather “a de facto federal invasion” of a Democratic-led state.

“A Federal Invasion”

In a more than 40-page complaint, the plaintiffs describe Operation Metro Surge as unprecedented in both scale and character. Approximately 2,000 armed and masked federal agents have been deployed across Minneapolis and St. Paul — a figure that exceeds the combined number of sworn police officers in both cities.

The lawsuit alleges that the operation has created a climate of widespread fear, with federal agents conducting raids at schools, hospitals, restaurants, and residential neighborhoods, often without presenting warrants. The complaint details a series of serious incidents, including a DHS agent firing into an occupied vehicle in St. Paul on December 21, 2025, and the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on January 7, 2026.

“These actions go far beyond any lawful federal authority,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said at a press conference on Monday. “We are not disputing that the federal government has the power to enforce immigration law. But no administration has the right to terrorize civilians, detain U.S. citizens without cause, or dismantle the constitutional sovereignty of a state.”

The Legal Core: The Tenth Amendment

The lawsuit is grounded primarily in the Tenth Amendment, which reserves to the states or the people all powers not delegated to the federal government by the Constitution. Minnesota argues that Operation Metro Surge violates fundamental principles of federalism by directly interfering with core state and local functions, including public safety, education, and civil governance.

According to the complaint, DHS operations have forced Minneapolis and St. Paul police departments to divert officers away from ordinary crime prevention and public safety duties in order to respond to incidents triggered by federal actions, including protests and community unrest. The result, the plaintiffs say, has been a severe erosion of public trust — particularly within immigrant communities — in local law enforcement.

“People are afraid to call 911,” Mr. Ellison said. “They are afraid to report crimes. And that makes every community less safe.”

Allegations of Political Retaliation

One of the most striking claims in the lawsuit is that the operation is politically motivated. Minneapolis and St. Paul are both led by Democratic mayors, and Minnesota’s governor and attorney general are Democrats who have repeatedly criticized President Trump.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said that if immigration enforcement were the true objective, Minnesota “would make little sense as a starting point.”

“There are many other states with far larger undocumented populations,” he said, referencing Texas and Florida. “The difference is that those are Republican states.”

Mr. Frey also accused ICE agents of engaging in racially discriminatory conduct, citing incidents in which nonwhite city employees were asked to produce identification while a white colleague standing beside them was not. “That is not just morally wrong,” he said. “It is unconstitutional.”

Social and Economic Impact

The lawsuit contends that the consequences of the federal operation extend far beyond legal disputes. Several schools in the Twin Cities area have temporarily closed after parents expressed fear for their children’s safety. Small businesses — particularly in immigrant-heavy neighborhoods — have reported steep revenue losses as residents avoid public spaces.

City officials say they have spent millions of dollars on emergency police overtime and activated emergency operations centers, diverting attention and funding from essential public services.

Response From Washingto

As of Monday afternoon, the Department of Homeland Security had not issued a formal response to the lawsuit. Federal officials have previously defended Operation Metro Surge as necessary to combat fraud and protect national security. President Trump has repeatedly attacked Minnesota, calling it “corrupt” and questioning the integrity of its elections — claims made without evidence and forcefully rejected by state officials.

What the Plaintiffs Are Seeking

In the complaint’s request for relief, Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul ask the court to declare the DHS operation unconstitutional, order an immediate halt to Operation Metro Surge, and prohibit similar actions in the future without the consent of the governor and local leaders. The lawsuit also seeks a permanent injunction barring federal enforcement operations in sensitive locations such as schools and health care facilities.

Legal experts say the case could become a major test of the limits of federal authority over the states at a time of deep political polarization. Regardless of the outcome, the lawsuit is expected to draw intense national attention — and may set the stage for broader legal confrontations between Democratic-led states and the Trump administration in the months ahead.