US Judge Refuses to Suspend Immigration Enforcement Operations in Minnesota

SadaNews - A US judge has rejected Minnesota's attempt to force the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) to suspend its detention and deportation operations for migrants in the state.

In contrast, another judge ordered authorities to release a child detained by immigration police in Minneapolis, whose photo wearing a blue hat went viral. The judge condemned in his ruling the "malicious thirst for absolute power".

President Donald Trump's administration launched a large-scale campaign in Minnesota to seek out undocumented immigrants, with federal forces detaining thousands of people and shooting dead two American citizens during their operations, which sparked widespread outrage in both public and political spheres.

In her decision regarding the state's request for a temporary restraining order, federal judge Katherine Menendez stated, "The court finds that the balance of harms does not clearly favor the issuance of an injunction".

Minnesota argued that the ongoing federal security operation violates its sovereignty as a state.

Menendez clarified that her decision not to issue a restraining order is not a final judgment on the broader case raised by the state. She also did not make a determination on whether the immigration enforcement campaign in Minnesota violated the law.

This ruling comes after a significant protest in which tens of thousands of Minnesota residents participated on Friday against the operation.

Commenting on the judge's decision, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said, "Of course, we are disappointed".

Frey added in a statement, "This decision does not change what people have experienced here, the fear, the disruption, and the harm caused by a federal operation that has no place in Minneapolis at all".

In contrast, Attorney General Pam Bondi described the ruling as a "huge legal victory".

The deaths of Rene Good and Alex Pretty, shot by masked federal security forces armed with assault rifles, sparked nationwide outrage, leading President Donald Trump to dismiss the operations chief of Customs and Border Protection in Minnesota, Gregory Buffino, replacing him with his administration's Border Security Chief, Tom Homan.

Trump reiterated on Saturday his description of the protesters as "rioters", affirming via his platform "Truth Social" that federal forces are at the ready to assist police in confronting them.

Police operations have disrupted the lives of residents in the large city of Minneapolis in the northern part of the country, with some staying home for fear of being arrested.

Anna told AFP, preferring to remain anonymous: "It is inhumane to live like this, imprisoned in one's own home". Her Mexican-American family has been staying home for two months.

In a separate ruling, federal judge Fred Bayre ordered authorities to release five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father by Tuesday.

Their detention on January 20 in snow-covered streets of Minneapolis sparked widespread anger outside the United States, especially after a photo emerged of the child surrounded by ICE agents, wearing a hat with bunny ears, looking frightened.

Since then, the father and son have been held in a family detention center for migrants in Texas.

Judge Bayre wrote in his ruling: "The roots of this issue lie in the government’s poorly planned and executed approach to daily quotas for deportations, even at the cost of exposing children to psychological trauma".