A federal judge tossed out the Trump administration’s challenge to Minnesota’s sanctuary laws, ruling Monday that the state has the right to make decisions about how to use its resources, including the ability to decline to help the feds on illegal immigration.
U.S. District Judge Eric Tostrud, a Trump appointee, ruled that neither state law nor local policies challenged by the Justice Department are preempted by federal law.
He said the Minnesota policies generally govern the actions of state and local authorities, not federal officers.
“They do not command the federal government or its contractors to act. They do not forbid the federal government or its contractors from acting. They do not control how the federal government or its contractors undertake their work. Rather, they regulate how state and local officials perform their duties,” he ruled.
He specifically ruled that deportation “detainer” requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — requests that local authorities hold a deportation target for pickup — are not mandatory, and cannot be imposed on unwilling law enforcement departments.
The decision is the latest in a series of legal losses for President Trump on trying to force immigration cooperation on states reluctant to partner with him.
Minnesota has rules prohibiting state officials from sharing information with federal immigration officers, including driver’s license data.
It also has restrictions on honoring detainers, and state Attorney General Keith Ellison issued an opinion saying those restrictions are consistent with Minnesota’s constitution.
The Justice Department has now seen challenges to sanctuary policies tossed across the country, from Los Angeles to Boston.
DOJ filed the lawsuit against Minnesota last September, months before Mr. Trump ordered an immigration enforcement surge in the Minneapolis area.
That surge led to thousands of arrests, a number of adverse court rulings against the administration, and the deaths of two U.S. citizens who protested immigration officers and were shot in the confrontations.
Investigations into those slayings are still ongoing.
