A federal judge has quashed subpoenas issued by the U.S. Department of Justice to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and other local officials, ruling that the subpoenas were politically motivated and issued for unlawful reasons. The decision, unsealed on Monday by Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz of the U.S. District Court for Minnesota, marks a significant rebuke of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement tactics.
Background of the Subpoenas
The subpoenas were issued in January as part of a controversial immigration crackdown known as Operation Metro Surge, during which federal agents killed two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in the streets. The Department of Justice alleged that state and local officials were obstructing federal immigration enforcement, but Judge Schiltz found no evidence to support this claim. In his order, Schiltz wrote that the Trump administration had been “threatening and attempting to punish states and localities that have adopted ‘sanctuary’ policies.”
Court Ruling: Political Motivation and 10th Amendment Violations
Judge Schiltz, a George W. Bush appointee, concluded that the “dominant purpose” of the subpoenas was “to coerce Minnesota officials into assisting the federal government with enforcing civil immigration law and to harass and retaliate against them for failing to do so.” He noted that initiating an investigation “in order to ‘harass political opponents or to coerce them into taking official action – particularly official action that the federal government cannot directly require those political opponents to take – is a blatantly unlawful and unethical use the grand-jury process.” The court also found that the subpoenas violated the 10th Amendment, which reserves powers not delegated to the federal government to the states.
DOJ’s Justification Rejected
The Department of Justice cited four instances of alleged obstruction: a separation ordinance by a Minneapolis city council member, a statement about an eviction moratorium, internal guidance from Ramsey County advising employees not to share information with ICE, and training from Hennepin County on responding to ICE warrants. However, Schiltz noted that the DOJ did not subpoena the city council members involved and failed to identify a single instance where a county employee actually obstructed law enforcement. “One would expect that, before launching a sweeping investigation into nearly the entire political structure of a sovereign state, the Department would have identified at least one instance in which a county employee actually obstructed a law-enforcement officer after being told of his or her employer’s policy,” Schiltz wrote. “Yet the Department has been unable to identify a single such instance.”
Reactions from Officials
Governor Walz called the ruling “a victory for the rule of law and our democracy,” emphasizing the need for an independent judiciary as a “pillar of our democracy.” He stated, “The US justice department is pursuing criminal investigations into the president’s political opponents. This case was just one example of that, but we are seeing daily reminders of this administration’s lawlessness – in Minnesota and around the country.” Attorney General Ellison, who has sued the Trump administration dozens of times, said in a statement: “The facts are clear: the Trump administration is targeting me because I’m standing up for the people of Minnesota. In America, we settle our political differences at the ballot box, and it should disturb every American that Donald Trump is weaponizing the criminal justice system against people he disagrees with.” Mayor Frey expressed gratitude for the court’s decision, saying, “No one should be targeted for questioning those in power. No community should be expected to accept harmful policies without objection. And no administration should use the tools of law enforcement to silence dissent.”
Broader Context
The ruling is part of a pattern of the Trump administration using federal powers to investigate critics. The DOJ has also charged Minnesota residents for protesting the immigration surge, including alleging a conspiracy among 15 people who tracked ICE agents and charging nearly 40 people, including two journalists, over a protest at a church. A DOJ spokesperson said, “The Department takes the unlawful obstruction of federal law enforcement operations extremely seriously and will continue to act in full compliance with the law to investigate these matters.” Ellison posted the unsealed order on Monday, calling the decision to quash the subpoenas an “extremely rare step” by the court.
