DOJ says claims in lawsuit seeking to stop Minnesota ICE surge are "legally frivolous"
The U.S. Department of Justice said Monday that claims made in a lawsuit filed in an effort to stave off the Immigration and Customs Enforcement surge in Minnesota are "legally frivolous."
The state of Minnesota, and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, filed the lawsuit last week, arguing the unprecedented surge of agents is endangering citizens. In the past two weeks, federal agents have shot two people in Minneapolis.
Also on Monday, the DOJ appealed a recent ruling that put limits on the tactics federal law enforcement are permitted to use against protestors.
The Department of Homeland Security says 3,000 federal agents have been deployed to Minnesota, and touted that the agency had made 3,000 arrests since the onset of "Operation Metro Surge" last month.
Here's the latest on the ICE surge in Minnesota
- The University of Minnesota is making changes as students return for the spring semester on Tuesday. Building access is tightening, and the university says students will have the option to attend some classes virtually.
- Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, said in a social media post on Sunday night that federal officers are "upholding the law" and local and state police "have been ordered to stand down and surrender."
- According to new reporting from CNN, the Trump administration is still discussing invoking the Insurrection Act in Minnesota, but only as a last resort.
- The Department of Justice says it is investigating a group of protesters in Minnesota who disrupted services at a church where a local ICE official apparently serves as a pastor.
- Unions, community members and faith leaders are calling for an economic blackout on Jan. 23, urging Minnesotans not to go to work, school, or go shopping in a response to Operation Metro Surge.
Local law enforcement leaders to talk about interactions with feds
Law enforcement leaders from across the Twin Cities plan to hold a news conference Tuesday morning "to address their concerns regarding interactions between federal agents and Minnesota police officers."
St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry, Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt, Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley and others are expected to speak at 11:15 a.m.
You can watch the news conference on CBS News Minnesota in the player above or on WCCO's YouTube page.
DOJ calls claims in Minnesota lawsuit seeking immediate stop to ICE surge "legally frivolous"
The U.S. Department of Justice says claims made in a lawsuit seeking an immediate stop to the surge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minnesota are "legally frivolous."
The lawsuit, filed late last week, argues the unprecedented surge of an estimated 3,000 federal agents is endangering citizens. It accuses ICE of violating the First and Tenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
According to the memorandum, the DOJ argues the plaintiffs' "Tenth Amendment and related claims have not a shred of legal support" and that their "motion should therefore be denied." The federal agency made the remark in a memorandum filed with the U.S. District Court in Minnesota on Monday, which argued against a motion made by the state of Minnesota, Minneapolis and St. Paul for a temporary injunction.
How the U of M is making changes amid federal immigration enforcement
With thousands of federal agents active in the state as part of Operation Metro Surge, the University of Minnesota says it's making changes to support students, faculty and staff.
The university says students will have the option to attend some classes virtually, depending on their courses, and guidance on that will come from their deans' offices.
Building access is also tightening. Nearly all buildings will require badge access, which means carrying a U Card is imperative.
Some public spaces, including student unions and museums, will remain open to the public.
Attorney for Renee Good's family says feds haven't responded to demand of evidence
The lawyer for the family of Renee Good, who was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, says he issued a demand to federal officials last week to preserve evidence, but is still waiting for a response.
"We will move forward with or without any government agency sharing any evidence," said Antonio Romanucci, of Chicago-based firm Romanucci and Blandin.
The FBI is investigating the shooting, but said there is "no basis for a criminal civil rights investigation."
ICE arrests elderly, underdressed Hmong-American man in frigid cold over mistaken identity, family says
Amid a blare of horns and shouting from witnesses, federal agents removed an elderly Hmong-American man from his St. Paul, Minnesota, home on Sunday.
"It is heartbreaking. It is infuriating to see U.S. citizens, and this gentleman was a U.S. citizen, ripped out of his house without a shirt on, without a coat, without pants, wearing his boxers and Crocs. I don't know how anyone could watch that happen to anyone," Mark Goldberg said.
