LOS ANGELES, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. federal judge on Saturday denied Minnesota's request for an emergency order to immediately halt a large-scale immigration enforcement operation in the state, allowing the controversial federal deployment to continue.
U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez ruled that the state of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul did not meet the legal requirements needed to stop "Operation Metro Surge," despite acknowledging what she described as "profound and even heartbreaking consequences" for communities in the state.
Operation Metro Surge, which began in December 2025, involves approximately 3,000 federal immigration enforcement agents deployed to Minnesota's Twin Cities region currently. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has called it "the largest immigration enforcement operation ever carried out."
The crackdown against the illegal immigrants has resulted in about 3,000 arrests so far and the federal agents' crude tactics in the raids sparked nationwide daily protests across the state and country, especially after they killed two American citizens on the street.
The state's lawsuit claimed the federal operation violated the U.S. Constitution's 10th Amendment, which reserves certain powers to individual states rather than the federal government.
However, Menendez said the state's claims that it was being punished or unfairly targeted by the federal government were insufficient to justify blocking Operation Metro Surge, ruling that the legal precedent for Minnesota's constitutional arguments remained unclear.
In her ruling, Menendez acknowledged evidence that federal immigration agents engaged in racial profiling and excessive use of force -- allegations the government did not dispute -- and cited widespread negative impacts on daily life, including increased policing costs, declining school attendance and disruptions to emergency services.
Still, she said halting the entire immigration operation would go beyond the existing legal precedent, noting that a federal appeals court had already overturned a narrower order she previously issued restricting agents' use of force.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi hailed the decision as a legal victory, while Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey expressed disappointment. The lawsuit will continue, as the ruling only denied immediate emergency relief. ■