MINNEAPOLIS – Federal prosecutors served six subpoenas Tuesday to Minnesota officials, investigating whether they hindered immigration enforcement actions in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, according to a source with knowledge of the matter. This examination centers on potential obstruction of federal law.
Subpoenas Issued in Immigration Raid Inquiry
Minnesota officials are facing scrutiny over their response to recent federal immigration enforcement efforts.
- The subpoenas were delivered to the offices of Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
- The investigation focuses on public statements made by officials that may have obstructed immigration raids.
- Officials have characterized the investigation as a politically motivated intimidation tactic.
- A separate lawsuit challenges the legality of the raids, citing concerns over constitutional rights and training.
The subpoenas, which demand records, were sent to the offices of Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, and officials from Ramsey and Hennepin counties. The source, who was not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation publicly, spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Two sources familiar with the matter revealed Friday that the subpoenas relate to an investigation into whether Minnesota officials’ public statements about the federal immigration enforcement actions constituted obstruction of justice. The officials have publicly criticized the tactics used by federal agents, alleging they are violating free speech and other constitutional rights. He characterized the armed officers as inadequately trained and called for an end to the “invasion.”
The lawsuit, filed Jan. 12, seeks a court order to halt or limit the raids.Further legal challenges are anticipated, and Judge Katherine Menendez has not yet issued a decision.
Ilan Wurman, a constitutional law professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, expressed skepticism about the state’s legal arguments. “There is no question that federal law is supreme over state law,that immigration law enforcement is within the power of the federal government,and that the president,within legal limits,can allocate more federal resources to states that have been less cooperative in that enforcement space than other states,” Wurman said.
Julia Decker, policy director at the Minnesota Immigrant Law Center, voiced frustration over the lack of transparency regarding the government’s arrest numbers and the status of those in custody. She noted that American citizens have been mistakenly apprehended during the raids in Minnesota.
“We’re talking about real people, who we possibly have no idea what’s happening to them,” Decker said.
In a related case, Judge Menendez ruled Friday that police officers are prohibited from arresting or deploying tear gas against peaceful protesters who are not obstructing authorities.
Renee Good, 37, was fatally shot on Jan. 7 while maneuvering her vehicle, which was partially blocking a Minneapolis street where Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were operating. Trump management officials maintain that the agent, Jonathan ross, acted in self-defense, although video footage shows the Honda Pilot slowly moving away from him.
as the shooting, members of the public have repeatedly confronted officers, using whistles and verbal insults. Officers have responded with tear gas and chemical irritants. Videos circulating online depict officers using a battering ram to enter a home, damaging vehicle windows, and forcibly removing individuals from cars.
Law enforcement officials in the region have reported instances of off-duty officers being racially profiled and detained without justification by federal agents.Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley stated he has received complaints from residents, including his own officers, who are U.S. citizens.
“Every one of these people is a person of color who has experienced this,” Bruley said during a press conference.
He believes the arrests were carried out by a “small group of individuals,” not representative of all officers in the area.
President Donald Trump last week threatened to invoke an 1807 law to deploy troops to minnesota, but has since retreated from that stance, at least publicly.
