Minnesota sues federal govt over immigration crackdown

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota and its two largest cities sued the Donald Trump administration on Monday in an attempt to stop an immigration enforcement surge that led to the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by a federal officer, evoking outrage and protests across the country.

The state, joined by Minneapolis and St. Paul, said the Department of Homeland Security is violating the First Amendment and other constitutional protections. The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order to halt the enforcement action or limit the operation.

"This is, in essence, a federal invasion of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, and it must stop," the state's attorney-general, Keith Ellison, said. "These poorly trained, aggressive and armed agents of the federal state have terrorized Minnesota with widespread unlawful conduct."

Homeland Security is pledging to deploy more than 2,000 immigration officers to Minnesota and says it has made more than 2,000 arrests since December. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has called the surge its largest enforcement operation ever.

Tensions brimmed again on Monday, five days after Renee Good was shot in the head by an ICE officer while behind the wheel of her SUV. From a large school walkout to emotional visits to a flower-covered memorial for Good to agents firing tear gas to break up crowds, Minneapolis remained on edge in the aftermath of the shooting.

There have been dozens of protests or vigils across the United States in recent days to honor the 37-year-old mother of three and to passionately criticize the Trump administration's tactics.

Meanwhile, four migrants died while in the custody of immigration authorities over the first 10 days of this year.

The deaths comprise two migrants from Honduras, one from Cuba and another from Cambodia, and occurred from Jan 3 to 9, according to ICE. As of Jan 7, ICE statistics showed that the agency was detaining 69,000 people. The numbers were expected to rise following a massive ICE funding infusion passed by the Congress last year.

Agencies via Xinhua