Judge rejects request to block Trump's immigration operation in Minnesota.

January 31 (Reuters) - A federal judge in Minnesota on Saturday refused to order a stay of President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration in Minneapolis, in a lawsuit filed by state officials accusing federal agents of widespread abuses of civil rights.

Minneapolis District Judge Kate Menendez stated that the Minnesota Attorney General's Office presented strong evidence that immigration agents' tactics, including shootings and evidence of racial discrimination, were having "profound and even devastating consequences for the State of Minnesota, the Twin Cities, and the citizens of Minnesota."

However, the judge noted that a federal appeals court recently overturned a much more restrictive injunction that limited U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement interactions with protesters in Minnesota.

"If that injunction went too far, then the one at issue here — to halt the entire operation — certainly would be as well," wrote Menendez, who was appointed by former Democratic President Joe Biden.

The lawsuit seeks to block or restrict an operation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that sent thousands of immigration agents to Minneapolis-St. Paul, triggering weeks of protests and resulting in the deaths of two American citizens at the hands of federal agents.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, whose city also filed the lawsuit, said he was disappointed with the decision but would continue with the legal process. "This decision doesn't change what people here have experienced—fear, disruption, and harm caused by a federal operation that should never have taken place in Minneapolis," Frey said in a statement.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, in a post on X, called the decision a "HUGE" victory for the Department of Justice. "Neither sanctuary city policies nor meritless litigation will stop the Trump administration from enforcing federal law in Minnesota," she stated.

The state alleges racial discrimination and unlawful detention.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison accused federal agents of racial discrimination against citizens, illegally detaining legal residents for hours, and spreading fear through repressive tactics. Ellison, an elected Democrat, also accused the Trump administration of targeting Minnesota out of animosity due to its Democratic political leanings.

The Trump administration stated that the operation aimed to enforce federal immigration laws, in line with the policies of the Republican president. Some government officials said that the increase in immigration would end if Minnesota conceded to certain demands, including ending legal protections for people living in the U.S. without legal authorization.

Tensions in Minneapolis-St. Paul escalated following the January 7 killing of Renee Good, who was shot inside her car by a federal immigration agent in an incident captured on widely circulated witness videos. The January 24 killing of Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol agent further inflamed tensions, as witness videos showed he had been unarmed.

The Trump administration defended the officers, claiming they acted in self-defense. However, videos of the events cast doubt on this version and intensified calls for the officers to be criminally prosecuted. Federal authorities refused to cooperate with local police investigations into the deaths.

Trump and Minnesota's Democratic governor, Tim Walz, said they spoke on Monday and had a productive conversation about how to de-escalate tensions.

Trump sent federal agents to several cities and states governed predominantly by Democrats, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon. He claimed his actions were necessary to enforce immigration laws and control crime, but Democrats accused him of abusing his power as head of federal law enforcement.

Reporting by Jack Queen in New York and Nate Raymond in Boston. Edited by David Bario and Rod Nickel.