‘A press release with a caption on it’: Minnesota launches ‘frivolous and farcical’ lawsuit over immigration enforcement
Officials in the state of Minnesota, who have allowed what apparently is a multi-billion dollar social services fraud industry to develop inside their Somali immigrant community, now have gone “frivolous and farcical” with a lawsuit that claims under a states’ rights agenda that the federal government cannot enforce its immigration laws there.
Popular political commentator and constitutional expert Jonathan Turley jumped to the bottom line on the issue: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison “is actually trying to get a federal court to prevent the federal government from surging resources in the state to investigate and prosecute fraud.”
“The filing is little more than a press release with a caption on it.”
Officials from St. Paul and Minneapolis joined Ellison in the move that is “most notable in the absence of any intelligible legal principle. The effort to stop the surge of federal personnel to investigate fraud and enforce immigration is breathtakingly frivolous and farcical.”
Of course, the knee-jerk reaction by many Democrat and other leftist activists these days is to run to a court any time President Donald Trump does literally anything. Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed against him and his agenda, many, many unsuccessful.
Ellison’s role is suspect, Turley wrote.
“Ellison has been actively trying to tamp down coverage of the massive fraud under his watch, including potentially billions meant to support children and impoverished families. Recently, a tape was released in which Ellison met with Somali figures later convicted of fraud and agreed with them that they needed to support ‘candidates that will fight to protect our interests.'”
Ellison’s request is simply that a judge say federal investigators and law enforcement are not allowed in Minnesota to enforce federal law.
BREAKING: The Director of ICE just MASTERFULLY DESTROYED Minnesota and Jacob Frey’s frivolous lawsuit asking activist judges to block the ICE surge
“We’re NOT asking any government agency in Minnesota to do immigration law for us. I don’t see how that’s an overreach!”
“We’re… https://t.co/2Xh9Z90YeN pic.twitter.com/jbeOUpwaRc
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 12, 2026
The chief of the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement “destroyed” the state arguments:
“We’re NOT asking any government agency in Minnesota to do immigration law for us. I don’t see how that’s an overreach!,” adding, “We’re doing our lawful law enforcement mission that Congress has on the BOOKS!”
And, “‘We don’t show a warrant for arrest.’ Well, Title VIII under the Immigration Nationality Act, you know, ICE doesn’t NEED a warrant to make that arrest!”
The Daily Signal explained the lawsuit was triggered by the shooting death of a 37-year-old woman who blocked ICE vehicles with her car, then when ordered out of her car, drove at an ICE agent, prompting a shooting that left her dead.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s threat essentially was a declaration of war on the federal government: “[President] Donald Trump should know, as long as federal agents are in our city acting unconstitutionally against our neighbors, we will continue to push back with everything we got.”
BREAKING: Minnesota’s corrupt Attorney General Keith Ellison announces he is SUING Trump to remove DHS from the Twin Cities, saying they’ve caused “great harm”
No, Ellison. You and Walz have created great harm by allowing VlOLENT ILLEGALS and LEFTISTS run your streets
You… pic.twitter.com/c6FnbiMDws
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 12, 2026
BREAKING: Jacob Frey just DOUBLED DOWN and incited more violence against ICE/DHS!
“We don’t use the term invasion lightly” – Frey
The only invasion that’s occurred in America is the one where MILLIONS flooded into America under Biden. Trump is doing NOTHING but fixing it! pic.twitter.com/alRjpSLlvI
— Gunther Eagleman (@GuntherEagleman) January 12, 2026
The legal filing claims the state has a “right” to police itself regarding federal immigration law.
In response, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin claims Ellison has “made it abundantly clear today he is prioritizing politics over public safety.”
Activists like Ellison “are the EXACT reason that DHS surged to Minnesota in the first place. If he, [Gov.] Tim Walz, or Jacob Frey had just done their sworn duty to protect the people of Minnesota they are supposed to serve to root out fraud and get criminals off the street—if they had worked with us to do it—we wouldn’t be having this conversation in the first place.”
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