Written By: Bailey Misken
On January 12, 2026, in the aftermath of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shooting Renee Nicole Good, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and federal officials on behalf of the State of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. The lawsuit alleges that DHS’s “Operation Metro Surge” is a violation of the First Amendment, Tenth Amendment, and the Administrative Procedures Act.
What Sparked the Lawsuit?
On January 7, 2026, 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by Jonathan Ross, an ICE agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Video footage shows Good sitting in her SUV as several ICE agents approached her vehicle. The video shows one agent standing near the driver’s side and another positioned in front of her car. As Good began to drive away, the agent standing in front of her vehicle fired three shots into the SUV, striking her. Good died from her gunshot wounds shortly after the shooting.
The shooting occurred amid a large federal immigration enforcement campaign known as “Operation Metro Surge.” Under this campaign, the DHS deployed thousands of armed and masked ICE agents into the Minnesota cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. In the lawsuit, Minnesota Attorney General Ellison alleges that, under this campaign, the ICE agents have threatened, used force, and pointed firearms at individuals who posed no threat to the ICE agents. Ellison argues that the operation has harmed Minnesota communities by causing school lockdowns, forcing business closures, diverting local police resources, and engaging in racially discriminatory arrests. The complaint cites these disruptions, alleged abuses, and the fatal shooting of Good as the basis for the lawsuit and the reason the state seeks to end the immigration enforcement surge.
What the Lawsuit Argues
In the lawsuit, Attorney General Ellison, on behalf of Minnesota and the Twin Cities, alleges that the Department of Homeland Security is violating the First Amendment, Tenth Amendment, and the Administrative Procedure Act on arbitrary and capricious federal actions. The complaint argues that DHS is violating the First Amendment by targeting the Minnesota cities due to the political views of their elected leaders. The complaint cites statistics showing that Minnesota’s noncitizen immigrant population is significantly below the national average. Ellison also argues that the federal government has a pattern of targeting Democrat-led jurisdictions with immigration enforcement. Thus, the complaint suggests that the immigration enforcement surge was politically motivated rather than based on immigration or fraud statistics. The complaint argues that targeting Minnesota based on the state’s voting habits and political viewpoints of its leaders is a violation of the First Amendment.
The complaint also alleges that DHS’s actions violate the Tenth Amendment. The state alleges that federal agents have diverted local police time and resources, caused school closures, and conducted enforcement actions at hospitals and schools. By effectively forcing local governments to react to and manage the consequences of DHS’s surge, the state argues that the federal government has unlawfully intruded on powers reserved to the state under the Constitution.
Ultimately, the complaint argues that DHS’s actions in Minnesota amount to an unconstitutional overreach that undermines both individual rights and state authority. As a result, the state and cities are asking the court to block the immigration enforcement surge and protect the constitutional rights of Minnesota residents.
What’s next?
Along with the complaint, Minnesota also requested a temporary restraining order to immediately stop ICE agents from conducting arrests in the state while this case is heard. While Judge Kate Mendez has declined to issue the order, this decision does not indicate whether the court will find that DHS has violated Minnesota’s constitutional rights.
The federal government has until January 19 to respond to Minnesota’s complaint. In that response, the DHS will likely argue that it lawfully exercised its authority to enforce federal immigration laws through Operation Metro Surge. The DHS will likely deny that Minnesota was targeted for political reasons, arguing instead that public safety concerns and immigration enforcement priorities motivated the operation. The department will also likely deny that the agents are infringing on Minnesota’s police powers, maintaining that they acted within the scope of federal law.
As the lawsuit moves forward, Minnesota will continue to gather evidence of the surge’s impact. Ellison has launched an online form for Minnesotans to report specific events involving federal agents. Protests and public demonstrations across Minnesota cities will likely continue as tensions rise between the state and federal government.
Conclusion
Minnesota’s lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security is a challenge over the limits of federal power, accountability for federal law enforcement, and the role of states in protecting their residents’ constitutional rights. The fatal shooting of Renee Good has become a catalyst for this conflict, cementing the state’s concerns about immigration enforcement tactics and operations. As the case progresses, federal courts will be asked to determine whether DHS exceeded its legal authority and infringed on Minnesota’s constitutional rights. Regardless of the outcome, the lawsuit emphasizes the growing tension between the states and federal immigration authorities and may shape how immigration enforcement operations are conducted in the future.
Sources:
Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief, State of Minnesota v. Noem, No. 0-26-cv-00190, (D. Minn. Jan. 12, 2026).
Eric Henson & Esme Murphy, Minnesota Judge Won’t Issue Restraining Order to Stop ICE Operations in State, For Now, CBS News (Jan. 14, 2026, 9:16 PM CST), https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/judge-restraining-order-tro-minnesota-ice-operations/.
George Chidi, Minnesota Sues Trump Administration to End Surge of ICE Agents in State, The Guardian (Jan. 12, 2026, 6:14 PM EST), https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/12/minnesota-ice-lawsuit-trump-administration.
Kerem Inal, Chris Looft, Jared Kofsky, & Josh Margolin, Minneapolis ICE Shooting: A Minute-by-Minute Timeline of How Renee Nicole Good Died, ABC News (Jan. 9, 2026, 4:07 PM) https://abcnews.go.com/US/minneapolis-ice-shooting-minute-minute-timeline-renee-nicole/story?id=129021809.
Minnesota Attorney General Launches Form for Reporting DHS Impacts, WDIO (Jan. 15, 2026, 2:08 PM), https://www.wdio.com/front-page/top-stories/minnesota-attorney-general-launches-form-for-reporting-dhs-impacts/.
State of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and Saint Paul Sue to Halt ICE Surge into Minnesota, Minneapolis City of Lakes (Jan. 12, 2026) https://www.minneapolismn.gov/news/2026/january/ag-lawsuit/.
Video Shows Fatal ICE-Involved Shooting in Minneapolis, ABC News (Jan. 7, 2026) https://abcnews.go.com/US/video/video-shows-fatal-ice-involved-shooting-minneapolis-128997970.