Trump-Appointed Judge Slams ICE for Violating Immigrants’ Rights in Minnesota Detention Sweep
A federal judge appointed by President Donald Trump has issued a scathing order against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ruling that the agency violated the constitutional rights of thousands of immigrants detained during a large-scale enforcement operation in Minnesota.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel sharply criticized what officials called “Operation Metro Surge,” writing that federal authorities failed to account for basic due process protections when they carried out mass arrests. “It appears that in planning for Operation Metro Surge, the government failed to plan for the constitutional rights of its civil detainees,” Brasel wrote. She rejected the government’s suggestion that ensuring access to legal counsel would create “chaos,” adding that the Constitution does not permit authorities to arrest thousands of individuals and then disregard their rights because honoring them would be too difficult.
The ruling orders ICE to immediately restore meaningful access to attorneys for detainees held at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minnesota.
According to a class-action lawsuit filed by The Advocates for Human Rights, detainees were shackled, frequently transferred without notice, and in some cases moved as far away as Texas without being allowed to contact lawyers or family members. Brasel wrote that the constant transfers made it “difficult — if not impossible — for attorneys to effectively represent their clients.”
The judge directed ICE to provide written notice of legal rights, ensure free and private access to telephones, allow attorney visits seven days a week, and notify legal counsel before transferring detainees so they have an opportunity to communicate.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security pushed back on the ruling, stating that “no lawbreakers in the history of human civilization have been treated better than illegal aliens in the United States.”
The order came just hours after the administration announced it would begin withdrawing federal officers from Minnesota in the coming days. White House border adviser Tom Homan said a smaller federal presence would remain temporarily to oversee the transition of immigration enforcement operations back to the ICE field office in Minneapolis.
The Minnesota ruling marks the latest judicial setback for the administration’s expanded immigration enforcement efforts. Federal judges in other cities, including Chicago and New York, have also criticized conditions inside temporary ICE facilities, citing overcrowding and lack of access to counsel.
Civil rights advocates welcomed the decision as a major victory. Michele Garnett McKenzie, executive director of The Advocates for Human Rights, said the government cannot sidestep constitutional responsibilities simply because compliance is inconvenient. The case underscores growing legal tension between aggressive immigration enforcement and the constitutional protections afforded to detainees.
