By Darren Lyn
HOUSTON, United States (AA) - The US state of Minnesota and its two largest cities — Minneapolis and St. Paul — filed a lawsuit Monday against the federal Department of Homeland Security to end what they called a "federal invasion" of their state.
The move comes in the wake of a deadly shooting in Minneapolis by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent after the deployment of more than 2,000 federal agents to Minnesota to step up immigration raids.
"Thousands of armed and masked DHS (Departement of Homeland Security) agents have stormed the Twin Cities to conduct militarized raids and carry out dangerous, illegal, and unconstitutional stops and arrests in sensitive public places, including schools and hospitals—all under the guise of lawful immigration enforcement," states the lawsuit filed by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on behalf of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
The deployment of additional ICE and US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents came after a federal investigation uncovered alleged child welfare fraud in the state, prompting the Trump administration to cut and suspend hundreds of millions of dollars of federal funding for child and family welfare programs.
"Defendants claim this unprecedented surge of immigration agents is necessary to fight fraud. In reality, the massive deployment of armed agents to Minnesota bears no connection to that stated objective and instead reflects an alarming escalation of the Trump Administration’s retaliatory actions towards the state," the suit alleges.
The lawsuit seeks to stop the "unprecedented surge" of more than 2,000 federal agents deployed by Homeland Security officials that resulted in the killing of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother, and what local officials have classified as countless claims of civil rights abuses.
The filing also accuses the Trump administration of violating the 10th Amendment of the US Constitution by supercedeing Minnesota’s right to police itself, which the lawsuit classifies as "a federal invasion of the Twin Cities."
"This operation is driven by nothing more than the Trump Administration’s desire to punish political opponents and score partisan points—at the direct expense of Plaintiffs’ residents. Defendants’ actions appear designed to provoke community outrage, sow fear, and inflict emotional distress," the suit continues.
Among the defendants named in the lawsuit are Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, acting ICE Director Todd Lyons and CBP Cmdr. Greg Bovino.
"Defendants’ agents’ reckless tactics endanger the public safety, health, and welfare of all Minnesotans," according to the lawsuit, which adds that federal enforcement has fueled fear in the community.
"The unlawful tactics used by Defendants’ agents have left members of Plaintiffs’ communities afraid to shop, go to work, attend school, access basic government services, or otherwise live their lives."
Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin responded to the lawsuit, defending the federal government's actions.
"It really is astounding that the Left can miraculously rediscover the Tenth Amendment when they don’t want federal law enforcement officers to enforce federal law ... and then go right back to federalizing every state responsibility possible when they get back in power. Spare us," said McLaughlin.
"Sanctuary politicians like Ellison are the EXACT reason that DHS surged to Minnesota in the first place," she continued. "If he, (Minnesota Gov.) Tim Walz, or (Minneapolis Mayor) Jacob Frey had just done their sworn duty to protect the people of Minnesota they are supposed to serve to root out fraud and get criminals off the street — if they had worked with us to do it — we wouldn’t be having this conversation in the first place."
"President Trump’s job is to protect the American people and enforce the law — no matter who your mayor, governor, or state attorney general is. That’s what the Trump administration is doing; we have the Constitution on our side on this, and we look forward to proving that in court," added McLaughlin.