LOS ANGELES, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. state of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul on Monday filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the recent surge of federal immigration enforcement following the fatal shooting of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent last week.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and officials from Minneapolis and St. Paul, alleges that an unprecedented deployment of federal immigration enforcement agents from multiple agencies within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has "instilled fear" among people living, working and visiting the cities.
The lawsuit names U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, among other federal officials, as defendants.
According to the complaint, the surge of federal agents into Minnesota is "unconstitutional and unlawful." State and city officials are asking the court to "preliminarily and permanently enjoin defendants from implementing the unprecedented surge in Minnesota or any other similar action in Minnesota."
More than 2,000 DHS agents have been deployed to the Twin Cities area, a number that according to the complaint, far exceeds the combined total of sworn police officers in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Renee Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, was fatally shot on Wednesday by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. The city has remained tense since the shooting, as outrage has spread locally and nationwide. More than 1,000 protests and vigils were reportedly held across the country over the weekend in her honor.
On Monday, the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago also sued the DHS for dangerous enforcement tactics and unlawful use of force.
The lawsuit specifically challenges the Trump administration's "federal overreach using tactics exceeding the authority granted by Congress, including arresting people without warrants or probable cause, indiscriminately deploying tear gas, and other illegal enforcement policies," according to a press release of the Office of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. ■