Justice Department to appeal injunction restricting agents’ actions in Minnesota

Lawyers for the Trump administration said on Monday they would appeal a federal judge’s injunction that limits how immigration agents may interact with protesters in Minnesota, asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit to review the order. Judge Kate M. Menendez of the U.S.

District Court in Minnesota issued the preliminary injunction last week, ordering agents not to retaliate against people "engaging in peaceful and unobstructive protest activity," and barring the use of pepper spray or other "crowd dispersal tools" in retaliation for protected speech.

The order also said agents could not stop or detain protesters in vehicles who were not "forcibly obstructing or interfering with" agents. The judge did not include specific protections for recording of agents or rules governing how dispersal orders are issued. The lawsuit that produced the injunction alleged that federal officers repeatedly violated the rights of protesters who observed or recorded immigration enforcement actions or voiced opposition.

The complaint described a "federal campaign to besiege cities across the United States in an unprecedented attack on civil liberties" and said the case seeks to ensure that Minnesotans can "assemble, observe, document, and criticize defendants’ activities" without fear of retaliation.

Key Topics

Politics, Justice Department, Minnesota, Eighth Circuit, Judge Kate Menendez, Immigration Agents