A judge on Wednesday morning declined to issue a temporary restraining order against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minnesota, seeking further evidence before issuing a ruling.
The state of Minnesota on Monday announced it was suing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other federal officials in an effort to stop the surge of federal law enforcement officials coming into the state.
Judge Kate Menendez said her decision Wednesday did not necessarily indicate she has an opinion on the case as of yet, or that she harbored any preconceived ideas about whether these raids are a violation of constitutional rights, as the plaintiffs have said.
“I think the issues are really important and I don’t want to suggest by not acting immediately one way or the other that I think they are unimportant,” Menendez said. “To the contrary, I understand this is important to everybody.”
During Wednesday’s hearing, the judge heard from attorneys representing both parties in the suit. The plaintiffs asked the judge to issue a temporary restraining order, claiming that the ICE surge and raids are continuously violating the rights of citizens. They argued that a temporary restraining order would provide attorneys with sufficient time to prepare their arguments. The plaintiffs sought a two-week restraining order.
Federal lawyers argued an order to stop the raid temporarily isn’t necessary because the state hadn’t proven anything.
The federal government has until Jan. 19 to respond, and the state of Minnesota has until Jan. 22.
This is a developing story and will be updated throughout the morning.
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