DOJ Sues Minnesota Over Sanctuary Laws That Shield Criminal Illegal Immigrants

The Department of Justice has just launched a major legal assault on Minnesota’s dangerous sanctuary policies accusing state and local leaders of helping illegal aliens, including violent offenders, escape federal immigration enforcement.

The lawsuit, filed Monday, targets the State of Minnesota, Hennepin County, Sheriff Dawanna S. Witt, radical Attorney General Keith Ellison, and the left-wing cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Their crime? Shielding illegal immigrants even those convicted of serious offenses from lawful deportation by refusing to cooperate with federal authorities.

“Minnesota officials are jeopardizing the safety of their own citizens by allowing illegal aliens to circumvent the legal process,” said U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This Department of Justice will continue to bring litigation against any jurisdiction that uses sanctuary policies to defy federal law and undermine law enforcement.”

That statement isn’t political rhetoric it’s a direct indictment of an increasingly reckless policy embraced by progressive cities. By refusing to honor detainers or share information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), these jurisdictions are actively obstructing the removal of criminal aliens.

• Minnesota’s sanctuary laws prohibit local law enforcement from cooperating with ICE, even when an illegal immigrant is arrested for violent or drug-related crimes.

• The lawsuit reveals that criminal aliens have been released onto the streets, avoiding removal proceedings thanks to these policies.

• Hennepin County and Minneapolis both refuse to notify federal authorities before releasing illegal immigrants from custody even those convicted of felonies.

And yet, local officials continue to dig in. St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter bizarrely called the federal lawsuit an “embarrassing” move and pledged to fight it in court. He even went so far as to declare that city employees don’t work for the president apparently forgetting that federal law supersedes local virtue-signaling.

The DOJ lawsuit follows a broader push by President Trump to restore order to a broken immigration system, one that’s been gutted by radical Democrats in the name of “compassion” at the expense of American lives.

Earlier this year, Attorney General Bondi published a list of sanctuary jurisdictions nationwide, highlighting states and cities deliberately obstructing immigration enforcement. Minnesota made the list alongside far-left strongholds like New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and Denver.

Let’s be honest: these aren’t harmless policy disagreements. Sanctuary laws have real, deadly consequences.

• In 2022 alone, ICE issued over 130,000 detainer requests many ignored by sanctuary cities.

• According to federal data, roughly 9,000 criminal illegal immigrants were released by sanctuary jurisdictions that refused to cooperate with ICE.

• Repeat offenders often commit additional violent crimes, including assault and homicide, after being released under these laws.

At the heart of this lawsuit is a basic principle: no city or state has the right to nullify federal law. And when local leaders put illegal immigrants above the safety of American citizens, the federal government has a duty to step in.

This case may very well set a precedent for how far progressive cities can go in defying immigration enforcement. And under President Trump, the DOJ is proving it won’t stand by while liberal strongholds put their own people at risk.

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