A federal appeals court on Wednesday lifted a district court ruling that would have restricted federal agents’ interactions with protesters and those peacefully observing immigration enforcement officers.
The ruling from the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, based in St. Louis, grants the federal government’s request for an administrative stay on grounds that the lower court’s ruling was overly broad and “not workable” within the day-to-day operations of ICE and Border Patrol agents.
U.S. District Court Judge Katherine Menendez had issued an order prohibiting immigration agents in Minnesota from arresting, detaining or retaliating against peaceful protesters or observers. The order included provisions regarding traffic stops on legal observers and the use of tear gas.
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The ruling stemmed from the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota’s lawsuit on behalf of protesters and observers who alleged federal agents had arrested or stopped them in violation of their First and Fourth Amendment rights.
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U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi celebrated the appellate court ruling and said Menendez’s ruling was “designed to undermine federal law enforcement.”
“A liberal judge in Minnesota tried to handcuff ICE agents who are enforcing the Nation’s immigration laws and responding to obstructive and violent interference from agitators,” Bondi said on social media. “… This DOJ will protect federal law enforcement agents from criminals in the streets AND activist judges in the courtroom.”
