Minnesota files lawsuit against Trump administration over immigration crackdown and fatal ICE agent shooting, calling it a “federal invasion”.
WASHINGTON: The US state of Minnesota has sued the Trump administration over an immigration crackdown that saw a woman protester fatally shot by a federal agent in Minneapolis last week.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced the lawsuit, stating the Department of Homeland Security’s surge of officers into the Democratic-led state has “made us less safe.”
“Thousands of poorly trained, aggressive and armed agents of the state, of the federal government, have rolled into our communities,” Ellison said at a press conference.
He argued the targeting of Minnesota for its diversity and political differences violates the Constitution and federal law.
“This is, in essence, a federal invasion,” he said.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said President Donald Trump is targeting Minnesota due to its Democratic leadership.
37-year-old American citizen Renee Nicole Good was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday.
“If the goal were simply to look for people who are undocumented, Minneapolis and Saint Paul would not be the place you would go,” Frey stated.
The mayor noted that states like Florida, Texas and Utah have more undocumented people but are Republican-controlled.
Illinois, another Democratic state targeted in the crackdown, filed a similar lawsuit against the federal government on Monday.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the ICE officer’s actions in television interviews on Sunday.
Noem said the officer acted in self-defense when Good drove her car at him.
Local officials strongly dispute this narrative, citing footage showing Good’s vehicle turning away from the agent.
Noem also confirmed hundreds more federal agents are heading to Minneapolis, where daily protests and vigils are being held.
