The activists in the case are being represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota. In a statement, the ACLU said that government officials have violated their clients’ constitutional rights, as well as the rights of other protesters throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul.
A district court judge has found that federal agents participating in “Operation Metro Surge’ in and around Minneapolis cannot detain or use tear gas against peaceful protesters whose activities aren’t obstructing immigration officials.
According to The Associated Press, U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez’s ruling addresses a claim filed in December on behalf of six Minnesota-based activists. The plaintiffs are among thousands of people who have filmed and otherwise observed the activities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the Twin Cities.
The Associated Press notes that federal agents and demonstrators have “repeatedly clashed” since the immigration crackdown began. Earlier this month, an ICE agent fatally shot and killed Renee Good, a Minnesota mother who had attempted to drive away from a confrontation with immigration officials. The incident was captured on video; although footage from multiple angles appears to show Good attempting to steer around ICE agents while moving at a noticeably low rate of speed, the Trump administration was quick to condemn Good as a potential “domestic terrorist.”
The activists in the case are being represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota. In a statement, the ACLU said that government officials have violated their clients’ constitutional rights, as well as the rights of other protesters throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin has since said that her agency is taking “appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters.”
McLaughlin claimed that protesters have assaulted agents, vandalized government property, and tried to prevent officials from carrying out their duties.
“We remind the public that rioting is dangerous—obstructing law enforcement is a federal crime and assaulting law enforcement is a felony,” she said.
TIME notes that President Trump has repeatedly and publicly mulled invoking the Insurrect Act to quell unrest in Minnesota. The last time that a president invoked the Insurrection Act was in 1992, when George H.W. Bush was asked by California’s then-governor to help control protests related to the death of Rodney King, an African-American man who’d been beaten to death in the street by four police officers.
The Department of Justice has also announced that it is investigating Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, both Democrats, on potential obstruction charges.
“Two days ago, it was Elissa Slotkin. Last week it was Jerome Powell. Before that, Mark Kelly. Weaponing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic,” Walz said in a statement. “The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.”
Sources
Judge Imposes Sweeping Restrictions on the Tactics ICE Can Use Against Protesters in Minnesota
Judge rules feds in Minneapolis immigration operation can’t detain or tear gas peaceful protesters
Trump Administration Asks Judge to Reject Minnesota’s Call to Block ICE Surge
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