DOJ Sues Minnesota, Minneapolis and St. Paul Over Sanctuary Policies
On Sept. 30, 2025 the U.S. Department of Justice filed suit against the State of Minnesota, the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul and Hennepin County, alleging their sanctuary‑style policies obstruct federal immigration enforcement. The complaint names Attorney General Pam Bondi as announcing the action, cites a February nonbinding advisory opinion from Minnesota AG Keith Ellison and asks a federal court to invalidate state and local laws and practices that DOJ says lead to the release of individuals who would otherwise face deportation.
Politics
Legal
🔍 Key Facts
- DOJ filed a federal lawsuit on September 30, 2025 targeting Minnesota, Minneapolis, St. Paul and Hennepin County.
- The complaint alleges local policies (including refusal to honor administrative detainers and restrictions on sharing driver’s license data) result in dangerous individuals being released and seeks invalidation of those laws/policies.
- Named officials include U.S. AG Pam Bondi (statement supporting the suit) and Minnesota AG Keith Ellison (whose Feb. advisory opinion the lawsuit cites).
📍 Contextual Background
- New York City has sanctuary city status.
- The New York Immigrant Family Unit Program had funding of $16,000,000 (as reported in the article).
- The Rapid Response Legal Collaborative had funding of $500,000 (as reported in the article).
- Video footage captured an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer pushing a visibly upset Ecuadoran woman to the ground outside an immigration court at the 26 Federal Plaza building in Manhattan.
- The Immigrant Opportunity Initiative had funding of $20,000,000 (as reported in the article).
- The Department of Homeland Security released a statement saying the officer was being relieved of current duties while a full investigation was conducted and denouncing the officer's conduct as unacceptable.
- On 2025-09-26 Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced new, stricter rules for non-citizens to obtain commercial driver's licenses.