Dorothy

A federal judge, Katherine Menendez, denied Minnesota’s emergency request to temporarily halt the deployment of approximately 3,000 federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the state, allowing Operation Metro Surge to continue while a broader legal challenge proceeds. All sources agree that Minnesota, along with the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, filed a lawsuit arguing that the federal operation violated state sovereignty and potentially endangered public safety—claims that the judge found insufficient to justify an immediate injunction. The operation has been linked to two fatal shootings, including that of Renee Good, which triggered weeks of protests and intensified state-federal tensions. While the core facts are consistent across outlets, framing varies by source. Left-leaning media such as The Guardian and New York Times emphasize the human cost, highlighting the deaths and protests that prompted Minnesota’s legal action. Center sources like PBS NewsHour and AP focus narrowly on the judicial ruling without contextualizing the protests or fatalities. Right-leaning outlets, including The Washington Times and The Daily Wire, frame the decision as a reaffirmation of federal authority over immigration enforcement, with some incorrectly attributing the surge to the Trump administration—despite no evidence that it was initiated under his presidency. The Hill and Washington Times also note the 10th Amendment argument, but mischaracterize Attorney General Keith Ellison’s legal position as a challenge to “Trump’s ICE surge,” when the operation is widely understood to have been launched under President Biden. Judge Menendez, a Biden appointee, did not rule on the merits of the case but determined that Minnesota had not met the high bar for a preliminary injunction.