Trump Administration Moves to Overturn Court Ruling Limiting Immigration Tactics in Minneapolis

The Trump administration has filed an appeal against a federal judge’s order that restricted tactics employed by U.S. immigration agents operating in Minneapolis.

In a brief legal filing, attorneys for the Department of Justice stated they are appealing an order issued Friday that prohibited federal officers from arresting or using tear gas on peaceful demonstrators and bystanders.

The ruling was in response to a lawsuit filed against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies by six protesters and observers on December 17, three weeks before an immigration agent fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis. The shooting sparked widespread protests.

Recent weeks have seen the administration deploy thousands of immigration agents to the Minneapolis area as part of a campaign to ramp up deportations of individuals without legal authorization.

The court order explicitly bars federal officers from detaining people who are peacefully protesting or merely observing law enforcement activities, unless there is reasonable suspicion they are interfering with operations or have committed a crime. It also prohibits agents from using pepper spray, tear gas, or other crowd-control substances against non-violent demonstrators and bystanders recording immigration enforcement.