Attorney General Clark Files Amicus Brief Challenging Militarized and Illegal Deployments in Minnesota

Coalition of 20 Attorneys General Support Minnesota's Lawsuit

Attorney General Charity Clark joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in support of Minnesota's lawsuit and motion for temporary restraining order challenging the Trump Administration's extraordinary campaign of lawlessness during its deployment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Border Patrol to the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Over the course of just a few weeks, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has sent more than 3,000 federal agents into the area. These agents fatally shot one resident, Renee Good, seriously wounded others, attacked peaceful protestors, and systematically conducted unconstitutional stops and arrests. In the brief, filed on January 22, 2026, the coalition urges the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota to order an immediate halt to the federal government's lawless actions - actions that show unprecedented disregard for foundational constitutional principles.

"Law enforcement at all levels - federal, state, and local - is entrusted with the immense responsibility of protecting and serving our communities and must meet this responsibility in ways that abide by the Constitution," said Attorney General Clark. "ICE agents in Minnesota, working at the direction of the Trump Administration, have failed to meet this responsibility in the most tragic ways possible. Public trust is completely eroded. Vermont stands with Attorney General Ellison and the brave people of Minnesota in calling for accountability, community safety, and respect for our constitutional rights."

Beginning in December 2025, DHS began to threaten an escalation in enforcement targeting Minnesota and the Twin Cities area. One operation, dubbed "Operation Metro Surge" - what U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons has called the agency's "largest immigration operation ever" - follows President Trump's campaign promise of an aggressive mass deportation program that would be the largest in American history. Throughout the operation, public reporting has indicated that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has deployed as many as 3,000 federal immigration officers to Minnesota. Of that number, 2,000 are ICE personnel, hundreds are Border Patrol agents, and others are from Justice Department agencies. More recently, President Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, and it is reported that the Pentagon is possibly preparing to deploy 1,500 troops to Minnesota. These actions have endangered public safety, with local law enforcement agencies being forced to divert large portions of their forces to respond to unrest caused by the federal officers.

Since Minnesota filed its lawsuit, the violence by ICE agents has only escalated. Just one week after the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a federal law enforcement officer in Minneapolis shot another person in the leg. ICE also exploded a tear gas canister underneath a car carrying a couple and six children, trapping them inside their vehicle, rendering a six-month-old unconscious, and requiring a mother to administer CPR to her infant child. This extreme conduct is ripping at the fabric of society and every aspect of daily life for Minnesotans is being affected. Pregnant women are afraid to go to their prenatal appointments for fear that they or their loved ones will be detained by federal agents. Vibrant shopping centers have turned into ghost towns, and businesses report 50% to 80% in revenue losses due to the presence of immigration officers. As a result of the threats to public safety caused by DHS, more than 100 schools were temporarily shut down in the Minneapolis Public School system, affecting 30,000 children, and school attendance continues to drop with families afraid to send their kids to school.

In their brief, Attorney General Clark and the coalition argue that a temporary restraining order is important to protect the public from these deliberately aggressive and unlawful immigration enforcement practices. They highlight that these tactics threaten sovereign powers - like policing and promoting the public safety, health, and welfare of the people - that the Constitution reserves for the states.

In filing the brief, Attorney General Clark joins the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai'i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin.

A copy of the brief is available on our website.

CONTACT: Amelia Vath, Senior Advisor to the Attorney General, 802-828-3171