Where things stand now
• DOJ appeals ruling: The Department of Justice appealed a judge’s ruling that federal agents in Minnesota can’t arrest or use pepper spray on peaceful protesters or stop people in their cars without cause. The state is the latest epicenter of the Trump administration’s turbocharged, coast-to-coast immigration enforcement crackdown.
• Church protest probe: After demonstrators interrupted Sunday service at a church where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent reportedly preaches, DOJ has launched an investigation, with the attorney general vowing the “full force of federal law.”
• Federal investigation shifted: Critics are denouncing DOJ’s handling of the fatal shooting this month of protester Renee Good in Minneapolis. While the FBI briefly opened a civil rights investigation into the ICE agent who shot Good, the federal probe pivoted to investigating Good and those around her, including her widow.
Justice Department plans to subpoena Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison
The Justice Department is planning to subpoena Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in a criminal investigation of several state and local officials, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
CNN has previously reported Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey are also expected to receive federal criminal subpoenas from the US Attorney’s Office in the state.
The planned subpoenas are a significant escalation between the federal government and elected officials in Minnesota during an increase of immigration enforcement and following the shooting death of Minneapolis resident Renee Good by an ICE officer.
A spokesperson for Ellison didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Walz and Frey have criticized the Justice Department’s approach in their state.
Correction: An earlier version of this post gave the wrong title for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.
Catch up on where things stand in the Twin Cities today
Tensions remain high after anti-ICE protesters interrupted a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota over the weekend chanting “ICE out” and Renee Good’s name — the woman who was fatally shot by an ICE agent nearly two weeks ago.
Here’s what else you should know today:
- DOJ investigating church protest: The DOJ launched an investigation into Sunday’s protest, citing possible violations of the FACE Act, which protects religious services from disruption. An activist involved told CNN the protesters were targeting a pastor at the church who is also a local ICE official.
- National debate: The weekend protest has sparked national debate over religious freedom, protest rights and immigration enforcement tactics, with Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who oversees the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, saying the protesters desecrated a house of worship.
- State’s bid to block crackdown: The DOJ also asked a federal judge yesterday to reject a bid by Minnesota leaders to block Trump’s immigration crackdown and allow immigration agents in the state to complete their operations.
- Troops on standby: The Pentagon ordered about 1,500 active-duty soldiers to prepare for possible deployment to Minnesota, according to a Trump administration source — but having them on standby doesn’t mean a deployment is imminent, the source added. State officials have also mobilized the National Guard, though they haven’t been deployed yet.
Minnesota is attempting to block Trump's immigration crackdown. Here's the latest on the lawsuit
The Department of Justice asked a federal judge Monday to reject a bid by Minnesota leaders to block President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and to allow the surge of immigration agents in the state to move forward, after a lawsuit was brought by Minnesota and the Twin Cities claiming the move was unconstitutional.
Officials in Minnesota filed the lawsuit last week in an effort to curb the administration’s ongoing crackdown in their state, equating the surge of federal immigration agents to the state to “a federal invasion” and citing violations of the 10th Amendment. The suit was filed shortly after Illinois and the city of Chicago also sued the Trump administration, alleging the Department of Homeland Security has terrorized residents in “organized bombardment.”
Trump and his administration have said the Constitution gives the federal government broad authority to enforce national immigration laws as the government sees fit.
Read more about Minnesota’s legal bid to stop the immigration crackdown.
