Protests have been taking place on the streets of Minneapolis since the fatal shooting of US citizen Renée Good by an ICE officer on January 7th. The picture shows federal officers using tear gas against demonstrators.Image: EPA
January 31, 2026, 8:55 p.mJanuary 31, 2026, 9:18 p.m
The US city of Minneapolis has initially failed in court to demand a stop to the deportation raids. A federal court judge in the US state of Minnesota rejected a request for a preliminary injunction. The reason given was that the plaintiffs had not adequately presented their arguments. The case itself continues in court, the judge only decided on an interim injunction.
The state of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul had filed a joint lawsuit against the US government. They see the massively increased raids against migrants in the northern US state ordered by Washington since December as a violation of their own sovereignty. The U.S. Constitution protects the sovereignty of states. The plaintiffs rely on this. The state of Minnesota also complains that it is particularly affected by the raids compared to other states and is therefore being discriminated against by the federal government.
The court emphasized that the decision it has now made at this stage is not a final one as to whether the plaintiffs’ claims themselves are justified or not. The legality of many specific measures taken by federal officials during the deportation raids was also not part of the decision, the court emphasized.
The lawsuit was filed shortly after an ICE immigration officer fatally shot US citizen Renée Good in Minneapolis. Later, US citizen Alex Pretti was also killed in the city during an operation by federal officers. (sda/dpa)