A federal judge on Saturday denied a motion for a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit filed by the State of Minnesota, the City of Minneapolis, and the City of St. Paul against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and related officials seeking to halt Operation Metro Surge, the Trump Administration’s codename for a massive immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota.
U.S. District Judge Katherine M. Menendez, a Biden appointee, stated in her decision that the plaintiffs had not met their burden to justify the extraordinary remedy of halting the operation based on the Tenth Amendment. She emphasized that the court was not making a final determination on the merits or commenting on the wisdom of the operation, but focused solely on the request for immediate relief.
The lawsuit, which was filed on January 12, sought an immediate end to Operation Metro Surge, which began late last month. To date, the Trump Administration has deployed more than 2,000 agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as part of what the administration described as the largest immigration enforcement operation in U.S. history.
The complaint alleges that the operation violates the Tenth Amendment by infringing on state sovereignty and coercing local governments to assist in federal immigration enforcement, contrary to the anti-commandeering doctrine. It describes the surge is arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act, and further claims the operation is motivated by political retribution against Minnesota’s sanctuary policies, which openly defy federal immigration law by refusing to allow local police and government agencies from coordinating with federal officials on deportations.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) countered that the lawsuit was “legally frivolous” and politically driven, asserting that federal immigration authority supersedes state objections.
In her 30-page order, Judge Menendez found that an injunction would cause irreparable harm to the government and that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate a likelihood of success on their claims at this stage. She noted that while the operation’s scale is significant, it falls within federal prerogatives for immigration enforcement.
The decision represents a victory for the Trump Administration, though the underlying lawsuit is still ongoing. Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Ellison have expressed intent to pursue the case further, claiming that they are motivated by “public safety.”
Saturday’s ruling comes after days of sustained unrest in response to the shooting of Alex Pretti, an anti-ICE agitator who was shot while assaulting agents and attempting to draw a firearm has started to die down.
After Minnesota business leaders called for an end to the sustained rioting and chaos, Governor Walz contacted President Trump and stated that local police would assist with defending federal facilities, hotels and other buildings that had been besieged by rioters for weeks.
