An appeals court has suspended a ruling that restricted immigration officers’ aggressive tactics in Minnesota, while Maine’s top election official denied a request for more undercover license plates for Customs and Border Protection vehicles, citing past “abuses of power.”
At a Glance
- The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals froze a judge’s order barring officers from using tear gas on peaceful protesters.
- Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows refused new confidential plates for CBP, citing concerns over “lawless” use.
- Over 10,000 people have been arrested in Minnesota immigration sweeps in the past year, with 3,000 labeled “most dangerous offenders” in the last six weeks.
- Why it matters: The moves highlight escalating legal and political battles over federal immigration enforcement tactics under the Trump administration.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to pause U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez’s injunction that barred officers from deploying tear gas and similar measures against peaceful demonstrators. Government lawyers argued the injunction harmed “officers’ ability to protect themselves and the public in very dangerous circumstances.”
Operation Metro Surge, a Department of Homeland Security enforcement push in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, started in early December. The state remains a primary target for immigration sweeps. On Tuesday, federal grand jury subpoenas were served on state and local officials who oppose the effort, seeking records that might show attempts to hinder enforcement.
A political action committee created by former Vice President Kamala Harris is asking donors to support Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, her 2024 running mate, by contributing to a defense fund. An email from Harris stated, “The Justice Department is going after Trump’s enemies list,” referring to President Donald Trump.
Maine blocks undercover plates
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, rejected Customs and Border Protection’s request for confidential license plates. She linked the decision to her revulsion over immigration officers’ tactics elsewhere. Renee Good was fatally shot by an immigration officer in Minneapolis on January 7.
“We have not revoked existing plates but have paused issuance of new plates. We want to be assured that Maine plates will not be used for lawless purposes,” Bellows said.
Portland Public Schools, Maine’s largest and most diverse district, locked doors at two schools for several minutes Tuesday amid concerns about Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity. “This is an understandably tense time in our community, as reports and rumors of immigration enforcement actions grow,” the district said.
President Trump said Tuesday that federal agents “make mistakes sometimes” while carrying out his immigration crackdown, an acknowledgment that follows weeks of violent confrontations, including Good’s death.
Arrest numbers defended
Greg Bovino of U.S. Border Patrol, who is commanding the administration’s big-city immigration operations, said more than 10,000 people living in the U.S. illegally have been arrested in Minnesota in the past year. Of those, 3,000 were labeled “some of the most dangerous offenders” during the last six weeks of Operation Metro Surge.
Bovino defended his personnel, asserting their actions are “legal, ethical and moral.”
Julia Decker, policy director at the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, countered that advocates have no way to verify the government’s arrest figures or characterizations of detainees.
Conflicting accounts in assault case
A federal judge indicated he is ready to grant bond and release two men after hearing contradictory testimony about an alleged assault on an immigration officer. Prosecutors are appealing.
One of the men was shot in the thigh by the officer during last week’s encounter. The officer claimed he was repeatedly struck with a broom and snow shovels while trying to arrest Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna after a car crash and foot chase.
Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis denied assaulting the officer. Video evidence and three eyewitnesses did not support the officer’s account of the broom and shovels or the presence of a third person.
Attorneys for both men said they have no violent criminal records and had been working night shifts as DoorDash drivers to avoid encounters with federal agents.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas Micko noted the men could still be detained by ICE even if released from custody in the assault case.
Michael A. Turner reported from Portland, Maine. Michael A. Turner reporter Ed White in Detroit contributed.
