Minnesota sues Trump administration to end "dangerous, illegal" ICE "invasion"

Driving the news: The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota by Attorney General Keith Ellison on behalf of the state of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, argues that ICE's actions violate the U.S. Constitution and federal law.

• "This is, in essence, a federal invasion of the Twin Cities and Minnesota. And it must stop," Ellison, flanked by the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul, said at a news conference.

What they're saying: State and local officials say federal agents are "terrorizing Minnesota with widespread unlawful conduct," including racially profiling residents and "brazenly and repeatedly" using excessive force against targeted individuals and bystanders.

• Ellison noted that schools, businesses, restaurants and day cares have closed temporarily "because people are scared to go out ... whether they are immigrants or they are citizens."
• The "mass chaos" caused by the operation has also forced the cities to divert local law enforcement resources away from normal public safety duties, backers added.

The other side: DHS has defended its enforcement actions, saying it will "not put politics over public safety," and has pushed back against videos of agent conduct that have drawn criticism online.

• A White House spokesperson called the lawsuit a "pathetic stunt [that] only proves that Democrats will put illegal criminals over hardworking Americans every time."

Context: The Trump administration announced plans for the Minnesota immigration crackdown in December, citing reports of widespread fraud targeting state social services programs involving defendants who are largely of Somali descent.

• Federal officials said Monday that they have arrested over 2,000 people since the operation began, per MPR News.

Between the lines: The lawsuit argues that the Trump administration is targeting Minnesota "not based on any real or legitimate concern for the enforcement of immigration laws or promotion of public safety" but to score "political points" against a Democrat-led state.

• Backers pointed out that red states with larger undocumented immigrant populations have not gotten the same treatment as Minnesota.

Friction point: The ramped-up enforcement operation has also sparked renewed concerns about civil liberties violations, including racial profiling and the detention of U.S. citizens. In recent days:

• A 20-year-old Crystal man of Mexican descent was detained by agents in a live-streamed encounter last week despite being a U.S. citizen born in Minneapolis, documents provided to the Star Tribune by his family show.
• Tribal leaders say agents are also targeting the local Native American population, citing the reported detention of four homeless men who are members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe.

• In another incident, cited in the lawsuit, agents allegedly approached four uniformed Minneapolis Public Works employees and asked the three nonwhite individuals for identification and citizenship information. The fourth worker, who was white, was not questioned.
• St. Paul Councilmember Hwa Jeong Kim said in an Instagram video on Monday that she has received constituents' "first-hand accounts" of agents knocking on doors and asking whether the residents know their Hmong or Asian neighbors.

What we're hearing: Suing the feds is an "uphill climb," University of St. Thomas law professor Gregory Sisk told Axios in an email.

• "Courts will be concerned about the precedent of allowing a state to oppose federal law enforcement actions" because local leaders disagree with the feds' tactics or politics, Sisk said.
• Minnesota will have "a difficult time proving the [state's] targeting was based on illegitimate factors" — though Sisk noted Trump officials' "tendency to comment publicly" on enforcement actions could give fodder for the state's argument.

What we're watching: Attorneys for Minnesota say a temporary restraining order seeking an immediate halt to ICE operations in the Twin Cities could be heard as early as Tuesday.

• Illinois and Chicago filed a similar lawsuit earlier Monday, suggesting other blue cities and states may turn to the courts to block ICE's operations.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include comments from University of St. Thomas law professor Gregory Sisk. Axios' Kyle Stokes contributed to this report.