AG Brown joins amicus brief challenging militarized and illegal deployments in Minnesota

Attorney General Nick Brown and a coalition of 19 other attorneys general filed an amicus brief today in support of Minnesota’s lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s extraordinary campaign of lawlessness during its deployment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Border Patrol to the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. 

Over the course of just a few weeks, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has sent more than 3,000 federal agents into the area. These agents fatally shot one resident, Renee Good, seriously wounded others, attacked peaceful protestors, and systematically conducted unconstitutional stops and arrests. 

In the brief, the coalition urges the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota to order an immediate halt to the federal government’s lawless actions — actions that are causing unacceptable harm to Minnesota, its cities, and people, and that show unprecedented disregard for foundational constitutional principles. 

“We are witnessing a flagrant abuse of federal power in Minnesota with no oversight, no clear mission beyond a bureaucratic quota for apprehensions, and no regard for the Bill of Rights,” Brown said. “If it can happen there, it can happen anywhere.”

Beginning in December 2025, DHS began to threaten an escalation in enforcement targeting Minnesota and the Twin Cities area. 

Public reporting has indicated that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has deployed as many as 3,000 federal immigration officers to Minnesota. More recently, President Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, and it is reported that the Pentagon is possibly preparing to deploy 1,500 troops to Minnesota. These actions have endangered public safety, with local law enforcement agencies being forced to divert large portions of their forces to respond to unrest caused by the federal officers. 

Since Minnesota filed its lawsuit, the violence by ICE agents has only escalated. ICE also exploded a tear gas canister underneath a car carrying a couple and six children, trapping them inside their vehicle, rendering a six-month old unconscious, and requiring a mother to administer CPR to her infant child. This extreme conduct is ripping at the fabric of society and every aspect of daily life for Minnesotans is being affected. Businesses report 50% to 80% in revenue losses due to the presence of immigration officers. As a result of the threats to public safety caused by DHS, more than 100 schools were temporarily shut down in the Minneapolis Public School system, affecting 30,000 children, and school attendance continues to drop with families afraid to send their kids to school.

In their brief, the coalition argues that a temporary restraining order is important to protect the public from these deliberately aggressive and unlawful immigration enforcement practices. They highlight that these tactics threaten sovereign powers — like policing and promoting the public safety, health, and welfare of the people — that the Constitution reserves for the states.

In filing the brief, Brown joins the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Wisconsin. 

A copy of the amicus brief is available here.

-30-

Washington’s Attorney General serves the people and the state of Washington. As the state’s largest law firm, the Attorney General’s Office provides legal representation to every state agency, board, and commission in Washington. Additionally, the Office serves the people directly by enforcing consumer protection, civil rights, and environmental protection laws. The Office also prosecutes elder abuse, Medicaid fraud, and handles sexually violent predator cases in 38 of Washington’s 39 counties. Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.

Media Contact:

Email: press@atg.wa.gov

Phone: (360) 753-2727

General contacts: Click here

Media Resource Guide & Attorney General’s Office FAQ