The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a major lawsuit against the state of Minnesota, the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Hennepin County, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt, claiming that their “sanctuary” policies are illegally interfering with federal immigration enforcement.
The 33-page complaint argues that these policies make it harder for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to identify and detain undocumented immigrants who may pose a risk to public safety. The lawsuit says Minnesota and its local governments have refused to share information, declined to honor federal immigration detainers, and passed laws or ordinances that prevent police and government workers from helping with civil immigration enforcement.
Among the specific policies challenged are Minnesota’s Constitution Article I, Section 10, which Attorney General Ellison interpreted in a February 2025 advisory opinion to mean that local police cannot honor ICE detainers. The state also has laws that block the Department of Driver and Vehicle Services from sharing driver’s license data with immigration agencies if the licenses are considered “noncompliant.” In addition, both Minneapolis and St. Paul have ordinances that stop city employees from cooperating with ICE, while the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office issued a directive refusing to hold anyone for ICE unless a judge has issued a warrant.
The Justice Department claims these measures put communities at risk by forcing ICE to conduct more dangerous “at-large” arrests rather than controlled transfers from jails. Federal officials pointed to cases where individuals accused of serious crimes were released from custody despite ICE detainers. Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate said the policies were a “blatant violation of the law” and warned that sanctuary jurisdictions will be held accountable.
Pamela Bondi, a top Justice Department official, said Minnesota leaders were “jeopardizing the safety of their own citizens by allowing illegal aliens to circumvent the legal process.”
This lawsuit is part of a broader national campaign by the DOJ to challenge sanctuary policies. Similar legal battles have already been launched in cities like Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Denver, and Newark.
Local leaders in Minnesota, however, strongly defended their policies and vowed to fight back. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the city “will not back down” and promised to stand with immigrant residents. “We will fight with all our strength for our immigrant neighbors — and we will win,” he said.
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter also dismissed the federal government’s claims as unconstitutional. He said his city’s separation ordinance has long ensured that city employees focus on serving local residents rather than enforcing federal immigration law. “City employees don’t work for the president, we work for the people who live here. We will stand with our immigrant and refugee neighbors no matter how many unconstitutional claims the White House makes,” Carter said. He added that St. Paul has already defeated two similar legal challenges and expects to prevail again.
The lawsuit will now proceed in federal court in St. Paul, setting up another high-profile clash between the federal government and local leaders over immigration enforcement and the rights of immigrant communities in Minnesota.
