The American Civil Liberties Union is filing a new class action lawsuit against the federal government on behalf of three Minnesotans – two Somali men and one Latino man – “whose constitutional rights were violated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and other federal agents,” the ACLU of Minnesota announced Thursday morning.
The announcement comes just hours after President Trump threatened to use the Insurrection Act to send U.S. troops into Minnesota to “put an end” to protests. There are currently 3,000 federal agents in Minnesota amid Operation Metro Surge, in which officials with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security say has so far yielded 2,500 arrests since it began last month.
On Wednesday night, an ICE officer shot a Venezuelan migrant in the leg in north Minneapolis, leading to violent clashes between protesters, federal law enforcement and Minneapolis police. The shooting occurred exactly one week after 37-year-old Renee Good was fatally shot by ICE officer Jonathan Ross in south Minneapolis.
Federal government officials tell CBS News the migrant and two others allegedly attacked the officer with a snow shovel and a broom handle as the officer tried to make an arrest.
Within an hour before the shooting, Gov. Tim Walz gave a rare primetime address to Minnesotans where he urged Mr. Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to “end this occupation.” He also called on Minnesotans to protest peacefully and record ICE activity to aid in future prosecutions.
This story will be updated.
Stephen Swanson
Source link