A federal court has rejected Minnesota’s emergency motion to suspend a widespread Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation within the state, a crackdown that has resulted in two civilian fatalities and triggered nationwide demonstrations. The ruling, delivered on Saturday by Judge Katherine Menendez, determined that the balance of harms did not conclusively justify an immediate injunction against the federal agency’s activities.
Simultaneously, in a separate legal proceeding, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery issued a stern condemnation of the government’s tactics and mandated the release of a five-year-old boy and his father detained during the raids. Judge Biery characterized the operation as an ‘ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children.’
The controversial ‘Metro Surge’ operation, involving masked and heavily armed agents, has led to the detention of thousands of individuals across Minnesota communities. The aggressive tactics have ignited protests from coast to coast, with tens of thousands marching in Minnesota and demonstrations organized in Southern California by the grassroots ‘50501 movement’ as part of a national ‘ICE Out of Everywhere’ day of action.
The backlash has extended internationally, with hundreds gathering in Milan, Italy, to protest the anticipated deployment of ICE agents during the upcoming Winter Olympics. Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala has explicitly stated these agents are not welcome in the city.
According to data from the German publication Tagesspiegel, ICE officers have been involved in 31 firearm incidents since last summer, with at least 32 individuals dying in custody. The agency currently detains approximately 70,000 people, representing what critics describe as the tip of the iceberg regarding law enforcement violence in the United States. Research from the University of Illinois Chicago indicates approximately 250,000 people are injured annually during law enforcement encounters due to misconduct, with over 600 dying in police custody.