AG Nessel Joins Amicus Brief Challenging Militarized and Illegal Deployments in Minnesota

LANSING — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief (PDF) in support of Minnesota’s lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s sweeping campaign of lawlessness during U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Border Patrol operations in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Over the course of just a few weeks, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has sent more than 3,000 federal agents into the area. These agents have fatally shot one resident, Renee Good, seriously wounded others, attacked peaceful protestors, and chaotically conducted unconstitutional stops and arrests. In the brief, the coalition urges the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota to order an immediate halt to the federal government’s lawless actions. These actions, the coalition argues, are inflicting unacceptable harm on Minnesota, its cities, and people, and demonstrate an unprecedented disregard for foundational constitutional principles.

“Because of the unlawful tactics used by ICE in Minnesota and across the country, families are afraid to visit their local food bank, kids miss school and doctor appointments, and crime victims are too scared to come forward,” said Attorney General Nessel. “This is not because they are the dangerous criminals the administration claims they are, but because a federal agency has deliberately sown fear while acting as if it is above the law. I stand with the residents in Minnesota against these inhumane actions because if the federal government can flood a state with thousands of agents, illegally undermine local law enforcement, shut down schools, and destabilize entire communities without consequence, Michigan could be next.”

Beginning in December 2025, DHS began to threaten an increase in ICE activities targeting Minnesota and the Twin Cities area. One operation, dubbed “Operation Metro Surge” — what ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons has called the agency’s “largest immigration operation ever” — follows President Trump’s campaign promise of an aggressive mass deportation program that would be the largest in American history. Throughout the operation, public reporting has indicated that Secretary Noem has deployed as many as 3,000 federal immigration officers to Minnesota. Of that number, 2,000 are ICE personnel, hundreds are Border Patrol agents, and others are from Justice Department agencies. More recently, President Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, and it is reported that the Pentagon is possibly preparing to deploy 1,500 troops to Minnesota. These actions have endangered public safety, with local law enforcement agencies being forced to divert large portions of their forces to respond to unrest caused by the federal officers.

The violence in Minnesota has only escalated. Just one week after the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a federal law enforcement officer in Minneapolis shot another person in the leg. ICE also exploded a tear gas canister underneath a car carrying a couple and six children, trapping them inside their vehicle, rendering a six-month old unconscious, and requiring a mother to administer CPR to her infant child. This extreme conduct is ripping at the fabric of society and every aspect of daily life for Minnesotans is being affected. Pregnant women are afraid to go to their prenatal appointments for fear that they or their loved ones will be detained by federal agents. Vibrant shopping centers have turned into ghost towns, and businesses report 50% to 80% in revenue losses due to the presence of immigration officers. As a result of the threats to public safety caused by DHS, more than 100 schools were temporarily shut down in the Minneapolis Public School system, affecting 30,000 children, and school attendance continues to drop with families afraid to send their kids to school.

In their brief, Attorney General Nessel and the coalition argue that a temporary restraining order is important to protect the public from these deliberately aggressive and unlawful immigration enforcement practices. They highlight that these tactics threaten sovereign powers — like policing and promoting the public safety, health, and welfare of the people — that the Constitution reserves for the states.

In filing the brief, Attorney General Nessel joins the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. 

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