What we covered here
• The Justice Department subpoenaed at least five officials in Minnesota – including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey – as part of a probe into whether the state and local leaders obstructed federal immigration enforcement efforts, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.
• DOJ launched a separate investigation after demonstrators interrupted Sunday service at a church where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent reportedly preaches.
• 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 probe pivoted to investigating Good and those around her, including her widow.
• Minnesota is the latest epicenter of the Trump administration’s turbocharged, coast-to-coast immigration enforcement crackdown.
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Federal prosecutors are moving forward in investigations against Minnesota officials. Here is where things stand
Pressure against officials across Minnesota continued Tuesday with at least five officials subpoenaed by the Department of Justice as part of an investigation into whether state and local leaders obstructed federal immigration enforcement efforts, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.
The subpoenas come after prosecutors started investigating several officials last week, focusing on a city and state that continues to be hit with increased immigration enforcement.
Here is the latest:
- Officials respond to subpoenas: Several leaders responded to the latest action by the Department of Justice, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey saying it is an attempt “to intimidate local leaders for doing their jobs.” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Minnesota would not be pulled into “political theater.”
- DHS secretary says arrests coming in church protest: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said there would be “arrests in the next several hours” related to a protest at a St. Paul church. The church shared a statement today, saying the protester’s conduct was “shameful” and unlawful, and they are evaluating “next steps with our legal counsel.”
- CBP official defends ICE enforcement in the state: Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino, who has led many of the region-specific operations, defended ICE operations in Minnesota, saying the “operations are lawful.” Protest groups and local officials have made a “difficult operating environment” for federal agents, he said, and blamed “agitators” for impacting ordinary citizens who are getting swept up in immigration enforcement operations.
- Trump administration asks to block court order: The Department of Justice asked a federal appeals court to temporarily block an order issued by a federal judge Friday that restricts how federal agents respond to protesters on the ground in Minnesota. The government argued the order “is replete with vague terms that DHS officers must interpret and apply in dynamic and dangerous law-enforcement situations under penalty of contempt.”
- Justice Department moving prosecutors: Top officials at the Justice Department are pushing for a surge of prosecutors to help the US Attorney’s Office in Minnesota with cases during the federal government’s crackdown around immigration-enforcement protests.
ICE leader declines to say whether agent is on leave after fatal shooting
A top Immigration and Customs Enforcement official, Marcos Charles, declined to say Tuesday whether the agent who shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis earlier this month has been placed on administrative leave.
Asked during a news conference about the status of Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who fatally shot Renee Good on January 7, Charles said, “He’s at home recovering.” When pressed on whether Ross had been placed on administrative leave, Charles repeated, “He’s at home recovering. Leave it at that,” without providing further details.
The agency has not publicly disclosed whether Ross remains on active duty or is under investigation.
During the news conference, Charles also urged Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to turn over undocumented immigrants in custody to ICE rather than releasing them.
St. Paul mayor says she is committed to residents after DOJ issued subpoena
St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her told CNN’s Erin Burnett she remains committed to residents and their safety even after the Department of Justice served a subpoena to her office.
The subpoena, one of five given to Minnesota leaders, is related to an investigation into whether Minnesota leaders obstructed federal immigration enforcement efforts, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN. The mayor did not share any details of the subpoena served to her office.
She also commented on a protest at a church in St. Paul, saying local police responded to the incident like any other place of worship, but said Immigration and Customs Enforcement “led the way in their charge of going on to school properties and detaining people from places that should be just as well kept sacred.”
“I don’t ever believe that it is okay for us to cross the line, in which there are spaces in which people have certain rights and freedoms,” Her said. “But I will say that if this government wants us to obey the rule of law, that they also need to follow that as well, and that they cannot expect residents who are feeling terrorized and sieged to be operating under any different circumstances or any different rules than they are operating in.”
DHS secretary says arrests coming in next several hours related to church protest
There are “going to be arrests in the next several hours” related to a protest at a St. Paul church, Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said on Newsmax.
Protesters went into the Cities Church Sunday morning, saying they were protesting David Easterwood, who is listed as a pastor at the church and appears to be the same David Easterwood who is a top ICE official in the Twin Cities.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon announced an investigation into the incident on Sunday, calling the protesters’ actions “desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers.”
“People will be brought to justice for how they violated the law in that situation,” Noem said, but gave no other details.
Conduct of protesters who interrupted Minnesota church service was “shameful” and unlawful, church says
Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, said the conduct of anti-ICE protesters who interrupted a Sunday morning church service this week was “shameful, unlawful, and will not be tolerated.”
The incident became another flash point in escalating tensions between the Trump administration and demonstrators in Minnesota and prompted a federal investigation after dozens of people rushed into the church, which led to confrontations.
“They accosted members of our congregation, frightened children, and created a scene marked by intimidation and threat,” Cities Church said in a statement Tuesday. “Invading a church service to disrupt the worship of Jesus — or any other act of worship — is protected by neither the Christian Scriptures nor the laws of this nation.”
The church said it welcomes “respectful dialogue about present issues” as it called on local, state and national leaders to “protect this fundamental right” while it evaluates “next steps with our legal counsel.”
Trump administration seeks to temporarily block restrictive ruling by Minnesota judge on ICE actions
The Trump administration has asked a federal appeals court to temporarily block Friday’s order by a federal judge restricting how federal agents respond to protesters on the ground in Minnesota, according to an emergency motion filed in the 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday.
The Department of Justice filed an appeal of the preliminary injunction on Monday. Now, the government is also asking for a pause of that injunction as the appeal process plays out.
Friday’s injunction stops agents from arresting or detaining peaceful protesters, using certain crowd control measures, and detaining drivers when there is “no reasonable articulable suspicion” they are obstructing or interfering with operations.
The order is similar to those issued by district court judges last year in connection to a number of lawsuits challenging immigration enforcement operations across the country. In some of those cases, appellate courts granted the government’s request for a stay.
The Justice Department is also seeking an immediate administrative stay if its emergency motion is resolved. If granted, an administrative stay would temporarily pause the order, allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies the ability to resume their previous actions.
The order “transforms a handful of alleged constitutional violations into a broad injunction regulating Department of Homeland Security officers’ operations on pain of contempt,” the government argued in the motion.
Tuesday’s motion continued: “(The order) is replete with vague terms that DHS officers must interpret and apply in dynamic and dangerous law-enforcement situations under penalty of contempt.”
DHS has previously said it is “taking appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters.”
ICE leader urges Minnesota officials to release jailed undocumented immigrants to federal custody
Top Immigration and Customs Enforcement official Marcos Charles called on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to turn over immigrants in custody to ICE.
Since President Donald Trump took office one year ago, Minnesota has released nearly 500 immigrants from police or state custody instead of transferring them to ICE custody, Charles said.
In many cases these immigrants have a final order of removal from an immigration judge, he said.
ICE has more than 1,360 detainers on undocumented immigrants in Minnesota jails and prisons, Charles said.
“If local officials, including those in the Twin Cities, don’t want ICE to arrest criminal aliens that are at large in their communities, the best solution is to turn them over to us in a safe, controlled setting like a jail or prison instead of releasing them back onto the streets to victimize our neighborhoods, where your children go to school, where your parents live and where you worship, shop and spend time with your loved ones,” Charles said.
Justice Department subpoena of Minnesota officials seeks immigration-related records
The Justice Department’s investigative demands to state and local leaders in Minnesota are for particular documents the officials’ offices may have from the past year.
The criminal subpoena sent to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s office, according to a copy reviewed by CNN, seeks:
• any documents about directions the mayor has given related to federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota, and all information about how the mayor’s office would comply or not with federal authorities;
• any records that may indicate the mayor’s office may not support immigration officials;
• immigration-related discussions between the mayor’s office and other county and state leaders and the Minneapolis Police Department.
CNN has reported a handful of state and local officials are receiving the subpoenas today in a criminal probe into whether the state and cities have attempted to obstruct federal officials in the immigration enforcement ramp-up and during subsequent protests in Minneapolis.
State Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office also received a subpoena from federal investigators today, said in a statement it was “a subpoena for records and documents related to my office’s work with respect to federal immigration enforcement, not for me personally.”
More organized protest groups and elected official response in Minneapolis make “difficult operating environment,” CBP chief says
Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino said the level of protest groups’ organization, along with “a very poor response” from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz have made a “difficult operating environment” for federal immigration officials in the city.
Bovino, who has led many of the region-specific operations, said the backdrop in which federal immigration officials are operating in Minneapolis differs from what they dealt with in Los Angeles, Chicago, Charolotte and New Orleans due to the groups being “a bit better organized” with “some excellent communications.”
“It’s that collusion and corruption between elected officials and these anarchists that are intent on creating violence for law enforcement,” said Bovino at a news conference.
The CBP chief said a lot of what federal officials are seeing “mirrors” the events that unfolded in 2020, when widespread protests took place in Minneapolis following the police murder of George Floyd.
CBP official says it is usually agitators' fault for involving ordinary citizens in violence related to immigration operations
Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino blamed agitators for impacting ordinary citizens who are getting swept up in immigration enforcement operations, adding “there’s no need for that violence” against federal agents.
CBP official says “operations are lawful” as tension from immigration enforcement in Minnesota continue
As immigration enforcement continues throughout Minnesota, Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino, who has led many of the region-specific operations, said federal agents are conducting lawful operations.
“Our operations are lawful,” he said during a news conference in Minneapolis, “They’re targeted and they’re focused on individuals who pose a serious threat to this community. They are not random, and they are not political.”
Responding to a question about the tactics used by federal agents, he said “I would say that those tactics are born of necessity. What we do is legal, ethical and moral.”
Doctors warn of a medical crisis in Minnesota as ICE carries out enforcement activities
A medical crisis is unfolding in Minnesota as ICE has stepped up its activities there, doctors warned in a news conference at the state capitol today.
ICE agents are staking out medical clinics in immigrant neighborhoods or following patients into hospitals, leading people to put off needed medical care, the doctors said.
The doctors said they’ve received reports of ICE agents following patients into rooms and refusing to leave during private exams.
They also said there have been reports of doctors trying to treat patients with injuries inconsistent with what authorities were describing, yet they weren’t allowed to hear from the patients themselves what happened.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“I have never seen this level of chaos and fear in health care for patients and for our health care teams,” said Dr. Roli Dwivedi, former president of the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians, who said she has practiced in Minnesota for 19 years.
In her clinic parking lot, Dwivedi said, a mother and son were forcibly separated as she tried to get him medications for his seizures. The trauma triggered a seizure; the son was sent to the hospital and his mother sent to a detention center in Texas.
“Our places of healing are under siege,” Dwivedi said. “When a clinic like this is treated like a tactical zone, who would feel safe and enough to go to go to the health care facilities?”
Some clinics have reported no-show and cancellation rates of 60% and dental appointments across the state have dropped by as much as half, she said.
Pediatricians warned children witnessing these events are now dealing with trauma.
“Family separation is not a temporary disruption, it is a traumatic event with lifelong consequences,” said Dr. Janna Gerwitz O’Brien, president-elect of the Minnesota chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Here is what Minnesota officials have said after they were subpoenaed
The Department of Justice subpoenaed at least five officials in Minnesota as part of an investigation into whether the leaders obstructed federal immigration enforcement efforts, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.
Here is what some of the state and local officials have said about it so far:
- Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said everyone should be afraid when the federal government uses its power “to intimidate local leaders for doing their jobs.” He said regardless, he will continue to keep “our community safe and standing up for our values.”
- Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said his office received a subpoena “for records and documents” related to his office’s work “with respect to federal immigration enforcement,” but not him personally. The subpoena was “highly irregular,” he said, especially after his office filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration last week.
- St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her said she is “unfazed by these tactics” and will “stand firm in my commitment to protect our residents, neighbors, and community.”
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins contributed to this report
Justice Department moving prosecutors into Minnesota as it bears down on state with protest-related investigation
Top officials at the Justice Department are pushing for a surge of prosecutors to help the US Attorney’s Office in Minnesota with cases during the federal government’s crackdown around immigration-enforcement protests.
Over the weekend Justice Department leaders in Washington asked for volunteer prosecutors and legal assistants from the states around Minnesota to parachute in for the next few weeks, according to an internal department email reviewed by CNN.
The Justice Department leadership had summoned US Attorneys from the midwestern districts to a call on Sunday to discuss the request, a top Justice Department official disclosed in an email to several prosecutors in the Midwest on Tuesday.
The specifications of what the prosecutors from other states would do in Minnesota aren’t clear at this time. The effort to bring the prosecutors to Minnesota comes days after several of its top assistant US Attorneys resigned, leaving an already understaffed office, and as Justice Department leadership pushes for investigations of top state and local officials. The Attorney General is also visiting Minnesota on Tuesday.
Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on social media Monday, “If state leaders refuse to act responsibly to prevent lawlessness, this Department of Justice will remain mobilized to prosecute federal crimes and ensure that the rule of law prevails.”
A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment further.
Church protesters may have violated laws – but context matters, legal analyst says
Protesters who disrupted Sunday services at a church where an ICE official reportedly preaches might have violated two federal laws, CNN’s senior legal analyst Elie Honig said.
One of those laws is the FACE Act – which bans the obstruction of a person trying to “exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship.”
The other is a “civil rights law, which says it is a crime to intentionally interfere with another person’s free exercise of religion,” Honig said.
With the church protest, “the conduct that we see here on its face seems to meet the requirements of those laws,” he said.
The First Amendment right to free speech does not include private places like churches. Just because a church is open to visitors does not mean there is a constitutional entitlement to use that space for a protest.
But Honig noted the sharp contrast between the Justice Department’s probe into a non-violent church protest – using the “full force of federal law” – and how it is not currently investigating a fatal shooting by an ICE officer.
The FBI briefly opened a civil rights investigation into the ICE agent who shot Renee Good, but the probe pivoted to investigating Good and those around her, including her widow.
“Regardless of what one might think the ultimate conclusion should be,” Honig said, “the approach of the DOJ and (Deputy Attorney General) Todd Blanche has been: We’re not even going to look. We’re not even going to do an investigation.”
University of Minnesota tells campus to carry school IDs for building access as they extend security protocols
As the spring semester at University of Minnesota begins, school officials are urging returning students, faculty and staff to keep their university identification cards handy for building access in an effort to make the campus more secure.
With the exception of the student unions and museums, starting today, all buildings at the school will require “U Card” access to enter, according to an online memo announcing the updated policy. The memo discourages propped open doors or allowing others to follow behind through building entrances.
University of Minnesota’s “U Card” is a multifunctional key for accessing campus amenities like the library, meal plans, transit, printing and select buildings, the school’s website details.
“We recognize that the presence of federal law enforcement has real effects on people across our community,” said Gregg Goldman, the university’s executive vice president for finance and operations.
The university’s public safety, which includes campus police, doesn’t enforce federal immigration laws and don’t inquire about an individual’s immigration status, Goldman added.
For context: The university is about 2 miles away from where 37-year-old Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent nearly two weeks ago — a site of rising tensions as protesters and federal agents have clashed in the shooting’s aftermath.
The Justice Department has subpoenaed at least 5 officials in Minnesota
The Justice Department has subpoenaed at least five officials in Minnesota as part of a probe into whether the state and local leaders obstructed federal immigration enforcement efforts, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.
The officials include Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, the sources said.
Frey’s office confirmed to CNN Tuesday that he has received the DOJ subpoena.
The subpoenas are for records related to the probe.
CNN has reached out to the other offices for comment.
Trump says he feels badly about Renee Good's death and hopes her father still supports him
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is addressing the press in the White House, where he said he felt “horribly” at the death of Renee Good, adding he hoped her father would still support him politically.
“I felt horribly when I was told that the young woman was — a tragedy. It’s a tragedy. It’s a horrible thing. Everybody would say it,” Trump said about Good, who was shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis earlier this month.
“Her father was a tremendous Trump fan. He was all for Trump, loved Trump,” he went on. “And, you know, it’s terrible. I was told that a lot of people, they said, oh, he loves you. I hope he still feels that way.”
Trump said ICE would make mistakes as part of their operations, though he did not say if Good’s death was itself one of those mistakes.
Minnesota governor blasts DOJ probe and calls for 'calm and order'
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called for President Donald Trump to join people in his state “to help restore calm and order and reaffirm that true public safety comes from shared purpose, trust, and respect.”
In an X post on Tuesday, Walz said Minnesota would not be pulled into “political theater” referencing the Justice Department’s investigation into possible obstruction of federal officers during recent protests. Walz added he does not believe the investigation seeks justice.
“It is a partisan distraction,” Walz said. “Minnesotans are more concerned with safety and peace than baseless legal tactics aimed at intimidating public servants standing shoulder to shoulder with their community.”
Walz said the federal government should be focused on rebuilding trust, accountability and law and order, instead of “political retaliation.”
“Minnesota will not be intimidated into silence and neither will I,” he said.
