The lawsuit comes after the FBI cut state officials off from the investigation into the shooting death of 37-year-old Renee Good on Jan. 7.
MINNEAPOLIS โ Minnesota officials announced Monday they’re suing the federal government to try and force Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to leave the state after theย fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good on Jan. 7.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison made the announcement alongside Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her during a press conference Monday afternoon. They also issued the request for a temporary restraining order to halt the enforcement action or limit the operation.
The lawsuit alleges that Operation Metro Surge violates federal law because itโs arbitrary and capricious, since it says other states arenโt seeing commensurate crackdowns. And while the Trump administration says itโs about fighting fraud, the lawsuit says ICE agents have no expertise in combating fraud in government programs.
“Minnesota’s non-citizen immigrant population is just 1.5%, which is half the national average,” Ellison said at the press conference. “Our state’s percentage is lower than Utah, Texas, and Florida’s, but none of those states have thousands of federal agents swarming their streets or harming their people.”
The lawsuit also claims the federal government is really targeting Minnesota over politics, which it says is a violation of the First Amendment.
Ellison previously asked residents to submit any evidence tied to the ICE shooting and called for the FBI to work with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension after the federal agency cut state officials off from the investigation. The decision meant the state agency does not have access to evidence, witnesses or agent testimony.ย
“This has to stop,” Ellison said. “We allege that the obvious targeting of Minnesota for our diversity, our democracy, and our differences of opinion with the federal government is a violation of the Constitution and of federal law.”
Earlier in the day, federal officers fired tear gas Monday to break up a crowd of whistle-blowing bystanders in Minneapolis who showed up to see the aftermath of a car crash involving immigration agents, just a few blocks from where Good wasย fatally shot last week.
A crowd emerged to witness a man being questioned by agents who had rear-ended his car. Agents used tear gas to try to break up the group, then drove off as people screamed, โcowards!โ
Mayor Frey also called for a joint investigation involving the state agency during a recent appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” saying an FBI-only probe lacks transparency. He also demanded that ICE agents leave Minneapolis just hours after Good was shot in the head and killed while driving her SUV, saying the agency was only creating more chaos in the community rather than ensuring safety.
“You can’t indiscriminately take people off our streets,” Frey said at Monday’s press conference. “You cannot drag pregnant women through the snow. You’re not allowed to take teenagers out of their car and detain them when they are, in fact, American citizens. That is against the law in every state. That is against our United States Constitution.”
Several protests and marches happened in the days following Good’s killing, both in Minneapolis and in numerous other cities throughout the nation. A memorial set up near the scene of the shooting has also given numerous visitors a space to mourn.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
