-Minnesota Protests: Lawsuit Against Twin Cities Immigration Operation Hearing Today
A hearing is expected Wednesday in the lawsuit filed by the state of Minnesota and the Twin Cities challenging the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operation there, which the lawsuit calls “a federal invasion.”
The hearing follows the resignation of at least half a dozen federal prosecutors in Minnesota amid pressure from the Trump administration on how to conduct an investigation into the deadly shooting of a woman by an ICE agent last week, a source said.
The killing of Renee good, a US citizen and mother of three, sparked days of protests in Minneapolis as the Trump administration said it was deploying around 1,000 additional Customs and Border Protection personnel to the region.
Here are the key things to know:
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Lawsuit: The Wednesday court hearing involves the Minnesota lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, which is seeking a court order halting immigration enforcement operations. the lawsuit claims Operation metro Surge is not a legitimate law enforcement action and says the Twin Cities are being targeted because of sanctuary policies that limit cooperation with the federal government during immigration enforcement efforts. In response to the lawsuit, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the Constitution was on the administration’s side and the surge of federal officers was needed as politicians in Illinois and Minnesota where not protecting their citizens.
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Prosecutors resign: The senior career prosecutors who stepped down reportedly objected to pressure from the White House to shift the investigation into Good’s shooting away from the agent’s use of force and toward Good, her widow, and others connected to immigration protests. Joseph Thompson, who frequently handled investigations with political implications including one into social services fraud.Read more about who some of the other prosecutors were here.
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No civil rights investigation: Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Justice Department does not believe there is evidence to back a criminal civil rights investigation into the actions of the ICE agent who shot Good. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara criticized the move. An FBI investigation of the shooting is ongoing, though local authorities have been blocked from joining the probe.
More federal agents: US Customs and Border Protection Commander Gregory Bovino said hundreds and hundreds of additional federal agents are being deployed to Minneapolis. The agents began deploying Friday and continued over the weekend, according to two federal law enforcement sources. This is along with the approximately 2,000 agents already sent to the area, as CNN reported earlier.
White House reaction: On Tuesday, trump defended ICE agents operating in Minnesota,calling them “patriots” and warning online that a “day of reckoning and retribution is coming” as the administration sends more agents to Minneapolis.
Federal funding: During a speech Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced the federal government will not make “any payments” to sanctuary cities or states with sanctuary cities starting February 1. A judge previously blocked Trump from cutting funding to these cities.