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A federal judge has dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuits against Minnesota, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt and Attorney General Keith Ellison, rejecting the Justice Department's effort to overturn state and local policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
In a ruling issued Monday, U.S. District Chief Judge Eric Tostrud granted motions to dismiss the cases, finding that the administration had failed to show that Minnesota's policies unlawfully interfered with federal authority.
The Justice Department had argued last year that so-called "sanctuary" policies, which generally prevent local officials from enforcing federal immigration law or honoring certain immigration detainers, are preempted by federal law and burden immigration enforcement.
Tostrud disagreed, saying the government's preemption claims "failed:"
"They do not command the federal government or its contractors to act. They do not forbid the federal government or its contractors from acting. They do not control how the federal government or its contractors undertake their work. Rather, they regulate how state and local officials perform their duties"
The judge also rejected the administration's challenge to a legal opinion issued by Ellison stating that the Minnesota Constitution does not permit local jails to continue holding individuals solely for civil immigration violations at the federal government's request.
Tostrud found it implausible that the opinion prohibited local agencies from voluntarily contracting with federal immigration authorities.
The lawsuits were filed in September 2025 after Attorney General Pam Bondi argued that Minnesota's policies allowed undocumented immigrants to "circumvent the legal process." Local officials defended the measures as lawful.
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said at the time that city employees "don't work for the president, we work for the people who live here," while Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey accused the administration of pursuing a "fear-driven, politically motivated lawsuit."
The ruling follows other judicial setbacks for the administration's immigration strategy. In April, a federal judge in California barred the administration from withholding or conditioning federal funds to jurisdictions with similar policies, finding key provisions of President Donald Trump's executive orders unconstitutional.
Minnesota has remained at the center of the administration's immigration agenda following Operation Metro Surge, a large-scale federal enforcement operation that concluded earlier this year. A Minneapolis-commissioned report published last month estimated the operation caused nearly $700 million in economic losses within the city, with officials citing business disruptions, lost wages and increased financial hardship among immigrant communities.
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