Justice Department subpoenas Minnesota leaders over immigration enforcement statements

MINNEAPOLIS (JN) – Federal prosecutors have issued grand jury subpoenas to senior Minnesota officials as part of a Justice Department investigation into whether public statements by state and local leaders unlawfully obstructed federal immigration enforcement during a major operation in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area.

The subpoenas, served this week, seek records from the offices of Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, and officials in Hennepin and Ramsey counties, according to people familiar with the matter. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

The inquiry centers on whether statements made by officials during and after the enforcement operation amounted to obstruction or conspiracy to impede federal law enforcement. The probe unfolds against a backdrop of heightened tensions following weeks of immigration arrests, public protests, and a fatal shooting involving an immigration officer.

Scope of the federal investigation

According to people briefed on the case, the subpoenas are tied to an examination of whether Minnesota officials violated federal conspiracy statutes by discouraging cooperation with immigration authorities or otherwise interfering through public messaging. Prosecutors are seeking documents and communications that could show intent or coordination.

One subpoena released by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s office requires production of a broad range of materials for a Feb. 3 grand jury appearance, including “any records tending to show a refusal to come to the aid of immigration officials.” Similar document requests were sent to other offices, the people said.

Officials named in the subpoenas have emphasized that they have not been accused of wrongdoing. The Justice Department has not publicly detailed the scope of the investigation or identified potential charges.

State and city leaders push back

Walz and Frey, both Democrats, have characterized the investigation as politically motivated. In a statement issued earlier Tuesday, Walz said the administration of President Donald Trump was not seeking justice but attempting to intimidate critics and divert attention from controversial enforcement tactics.

“We shouldn’t have to live in a country where people fear that federal law enforcement will be used to play politics or crack down on local voices they disagree with,” Frey said.

St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, a Hmong immigrant and Democrat, confirmed she had received a subpoena and said she was “unfazed by these tactics.” The governor’s office referred reporters to Walz’s earlier comments rather than addressing the subpoenas directly.

Ellison, Minnesota’s attorney general, has accused the federal government of violating constitutional protections, including free speech. He has described the enforcement presence as excessive and poorly trained, and has argued that state officials have the right to speak critically about federal actions.

Legal battle over enforcement surge

The subpoenas arrived one day after federal attorneys urged a judge to dismiss Minnesota’s lawsuit seeking to halt the immigration enforcement surge in the Twin Cities. The state filed the suit after the Jan. 7 fatal shooting of Renee Good, 37, by an immigration officer during an operation in Minneapolis.

In court filings, Justice Department lawyers called the lawsuit “legally frivolous,” arguing that immigration enforcement falls squarely under federal authority. “Put simply, Minnesota wants a veto over federal law enforcement,” government attorneys wrote.

U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez has not yet ruled on the state’s request. Legal scholars say Minnesota faces a steep challenge. Ilan Wurman, a constitutional law professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, said federal control over immigration is well established in U.S. law, making the state’s arguments difficult to sustain.

Arrest figures and transparency concerns

Federal officials say the enforcement operation has resulted in thousands of arrests. Greg Bovino, a U.S. Border Patrol official overseeing the crackdown, said more than 10,000 people in the United States illegally have been arrested in Minnesota over the past year, including about 3,000 in the past six weeks under what authorities call Operation Metro Surge.

Bovino said those detained include individuals with serious criminal records from Laos, Guatemala, and Honduras. “These are not technical violations,” he told reporters. “These are individuals responsible for serious harm.”

Immigrant advocates dispute the lack of publicly verifiable data. Julia Decker, policy director at the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, said advocates have little ability to confirm who has been arrested or where detainees are being held. “These are real people we’re talking about,” she said, “and we potentially have no idea what is happening to them.”

Protests, policing, and community tension

Public anger intensified after Good was killed when an officer fired as her vehicle moved away from a scene where ICE officers were operating. Federal officials say the officer, Jonathan Ross, acted in self-defense, though videos circulated online show the vehicle moving slowly as it turned.

Since then, protesters have repeatedly confronted immigration officers, using whistles and shouting insults. Federal agents have responded with tear gas and chemical irritants. Videos recorded by bystanders show officers breaking into homes, smashing vehicle windows, and pulling occupants from cars.

Bovino defended his officers, saying their actions were “legal, ethical and moral.” He described those detained during confrontations as agitators rather than bystanders. Local police leaders, however, said residents — including off-duty officers who are U.S. citizens — have been stopped without cause. Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said his department has received multiple complaints alleging racial profiling by federal agents.

Church protest adds new flashpoint

The dispute widened over the weekend when about three dozen demonstrators entered a church service at Cities Church in St. Paul to protest immigration enforcement. Some walked to the pulpit, prompting condemnation from church leaders.

“Invading a church service to disrupt the worship of Jesus — or any other act of worship — is protected by neither the Christian Scriptures nor the laws of this nation,” the church said in a statement shared by Pastor Jonathan Parnell.

One protest leader, attorney and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong, called for the resignation of a church pastor who also works at a local ICE office, arguing that his dual roles pose a moral conflict.

As the legal and political battles continue, the subpoenas underscore the escalating clash between federal immigration authorities and state and local leaders — a conflict now set to be tested in court and before a grand jury.