A federal appeals court on Monday sided with the Trump administration, blocking limits on the tactics used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as they face off with anti-ICE agitators in Minnesota.
A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay of a lower court order that had barred agents from arresting, detaining, pepper-spraying, or otherwise responding to protesters in Minneapolis without probable cause as confrontations intensified around immigration enforcement operations.
“We accessed and viewed the same videos the district court did,” the appeals court wrote. “What they show is observers and protesters engaging in a wide range of conduct, some of it peaceful but much of it not. They also show federal agents responding in various ways.”
The lawsuit was brought on behalf of six protesters who alleged federal authorities violated their civil rights during clashes with ICE.
The ruling follows a temporary lift last week of the restrictions on ICE’s use of force. Monday’s decision makes that relief permanent, granting what Attorney General Pam Bondi described as a “FULL STAY.”
“Liberal judges tried to handcuff our federal law enforcement officers, restrict their actions, and put their safety at risk when responding to violent agitators,” Bondi wrote on X. “The DOJ went to court. We got a temporary stay. NOW, the 8th Circuit has fully agreed that this reckless attempt to undermine law enforcement cannot stand.”
The case stems from a Jan. 16 ruling by U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez, who sided with the protesters and issued a preliminary injunction against the Department of Homeland Security and ICE.
Menendez found the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on claims that federal agents violated their First and Fourth Amendment rights while protesters and observers monitored ICE activity tied to Operation Metro Surge in the Twin Cities.
In her order, Menendez cited alleged incidents in which ICE agents used pepper spray, pointed weapons, made arrests, and conducted traffic stops against individuals she said were peacefully observing or protesting immigration enforcement.
The appeals court sharply disagreed with that assessment, pointing to video evidence of escalating protester behavior and a range of responses from federal agents attempting to carry out their duties.
The ruling clears the way for ICE to continue enforcement operations in Minnesota without the added constraints imposed by the lower court, a significant win for the administration as it ramps up immigration enforcement amid increasingly aggressive street protests.
The case is expected to continue through the courts, but for now, the appeals court decision gives federal agents broader latitude to respond as confrontations with anti-ICE groups persist.
