NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A federal judge has denied Minnesota’s request to immediately halt the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) –led Operation Metro Surge.
Saturday’s ruling said the state and two cities failed to meet the high legal bar required to block a federal law enforcement operation at this stage of the case.
U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez signed the order and said the plaintiffs “have not met their burden” for the “extraordinary remedy” of a preliminary injunction.
Left: Protesters gather in front of the Minnesota State Capitol in response to the death of Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer on Jan. 14, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. Right: An ICE agent outside a residential house. (Abbie Parr/AP Photo; Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The State of Minnesota, along with the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and federal immigration officials in an effort to block the ICE-led enforcement operation.
The plaintiffs asked the court to issue a preliminary injunction stopping the federal operation while the case proceeds.
But Menendez denied that request, ruling the plaintiffs failed to meet the high legal standard required for such extraordinary relief.
Federal law enforcement agents detain a demonstrator during a raid in south Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Minnesota has become a flashpoint in left-wing resistance to federal immigration enforcement, with Democrat state and local leaders openly opposing ICE-led raids.
Operation Metro Surge began in early December 2025, when the federal government deployed thousands of immigration enforcement agents to Minnesota and the Twin Cities.
According to government filings in the case, Operation Metro Surge has led to about 3,000 arrests in Minnesota.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
In a statement Thursday, the DHS said Operation Metro Surge has targeted “criminal illegal aliens,” including sex offenders, violent assailants and drug traffickers arrested in Minnesota.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
