Minnesota sues Trump over ‘federal invasion’ by immigration agents

Minnesota has launched a legal challenge against the Trump administration over the mass deployment of federal immigration agents to the state, arguing it amounts to an unconstitutional “federal invasion”.

In a lawsuit filed in federal court, Attorney General Keith Ellison says the sustained presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel has destabilised communities, fuelled fear and triggered what he describes as “chaos and violence”.

The legal action comes days after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good by an immigration agent in Minneapolis, an incident that sparked large street protests and renewed scrutiny of federal operations in US cities.

Mr Ellison is asking the court to declare the deployment unlawful and to halt it, insisting it violates Minnesota’s sovereign right to safeguard the “health and well-being” of everyone within its borders.

At a news conference on Monday, the Democratic attorney general accused Washington of punishing the state for its politics. Democrats currently control both the governorship and the state legislature.

“The unlawful deployment of thousands of armed, masked and poorly trained federal agents is hurting Minnesota,” he said, claiming the administration was “persecuting the state of Minnesota because of our political views”.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said residents were being stopped and questioned on the basis of how they look, accusing agents of racial profiling and “illegally targeting people they assume are immigrants”.

He said the influx of federal officers had led to a spike in emergency calls and forced city police to spend more time responding to incidents involving ICE, stretching local resources.

The Trump administration has dismissed the lawsuit as groundless.

Federal officials say the agents are focused on undocumented migrants and that extra numbers are needed to protect officers as they carry out arrests.

DHS has described the Minnesota deployment as part of Operation Metro Surge, a wider push it says is aimed at tackling illegal immigration and associated crime. Around 2,000 federal agents are estimated to be operating in the state, with “hundreds more” to follow.

At the weekend, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News the additional agents were necessary “to allow our ICE and our Border Patrol individuals that are working in Minneapolis to do so safely”.

Minnesota is not alone in heading to court. The state of Illinois and the city of Chicago filed their own lawsuit on Monday, accusing federal immigration forces of mounting an “organised bombardment” and “occupation” of their communities.

Their complaint alleges that “uniformed, military-trained personnel, carrying semi-automatic firearms and military-grade weaponry, have rampaged for months through Chicago and the surrounding areas”.

The deployment has become even more contentious since the killing of Ms Good last week.

Federal officials claim she was trying to ram immigration agents with her car when she was shot. Local authorities have challenged that account, arguing that the use of lethal force was unnecessary.

The FBI has opened an inquiry into the incident, but local officials say they are being kept at arm’s length from the federal investigation.

Prosecutors in Minnesota say they will seek an emergency court order as early as Tuesday to block further deployments while the case is heard temporarily.