US Judge Rejects Minnesota's Petition, Federal Immigration Enforcement to Continue

(USA, Feb 1) — A U.S. judge on Saturday (January 31) rejected Minnesota's request for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to halt its enforcement operations in the state.

According to AFP, heavily armed federal law enforcement officers are searching for undocumented immigrants across Minnesota, detaining thousands, and in the process, have shot dead two American citizens. The authorities’ tough enforcement measures have sparked fierce protests across the United States, with tens of thousands taking to the streets of Minnesota on Friday (January 30) to protest what they call “urban raids.”

Minnesota argued that the month-long federal operation infringed upon the state's sovereignty.
In response to Minnesota's request for a temporary injunction to stop federal enforcement operations, Judge Menendez wrote in her ruling: “Ultimately, the court finds that the balance of harm does not clearly support the issuance of an injunction.”

Menendez also stated that her ruling is not the final judgment on Minnesota's lawsuit; a final verdict will be rendered after court arguments. She also did not judge whether the related enforcement actions were illegal.
On another front, a federal judge has ordered the release of 5-year-old Liam Ramos and his father Adrian Arias, both detained by immigration officers during the Minnesota raids.
US District Judge Beery wrote in the ruling on Saturday: “At its root, this case reflects the government’s clumsy and poorly executed actions to meet daily deportation quotas — measures that have even harmed children.”

The pair’s attorneys told Reuters that the Ecuadorian boy and his father, as asylum seekers, legally entered the United States and were subsequently sent to a family detention center in Dilley, Texas.