The complaint also alleges that Minnesota’s driver licensing system routinely blocks ICE’s lawful queries, returning error messages that conceal whether records exist.
The US Department of Justice has filed a sweeping lawsuit against the State of Minnesota, the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Hennepin County, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna S. Witt. The suit challenges the state and local governments’ sanctuary city policies, which federal officials say obstruct immigration enforcement and endanger public safety by allowing dangerous criminals to be released back into communities.
According to the DOJ’s complaint, Minnesota and its local jurisdictions have adopted statutes, ordinances, and legal opinions that restrict communication and cooperation with federal immigration authorities—policies that the federal government says are preempted by federal law. These include state laws that limit how driver’s license data may be shared with ICE, local ordinances that bar officers from honoring immigration detainers, and a Minnesota Attorney General advisory opinion that interprets the state constitution as prohibiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
The DOJ argues these policies violate the Supremacy Clause and federal statutes that bar state or local governments from restricting communication with federal agencies regarding immigration status. The suit seeks to invalidate these policies and prevent the state of Minnesota, its cities, and counties from enforcing them.
“Minnesota officials are jeopardizing the safety of their own citizens by allowing illegal aliens to circumvent the legal process,” said US Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This Department of Justice will continue to bring litigation against any jurisdiction that uses sanctuary policies to defy federal law and undermine law enforcement.”
Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the DOJ’s Civil Division echoed that message: “Shielding illegal aliens from federal law enforcement is a blatant violation of the law that carries dangerous consequences. The Civil Division will continue to vigorously uphold the rule of law by holding sanctuary jurisdictions fully accountable.”
The DOJ lawsuit cites several specific cases to illustrate how Minnesota’s sanctuary policies allegedly undermine immigration enforcement and put the public at risk, including in August 2024, when Minneapolis police arrested German Adriano Llangari Inga for vehicular homicide. ICE lodged a detainer requesting that the jail hold him for transfer to federal custody. Hennepin County Jail refused to honor the detainer and released him without notifying ICE.
In May 2025, Llangari was arrested again. ICE issued another detainer, but after he posted bail, county officials again released him without notifying federal authorities. Three days later, ICE agents located and re-arrested him in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. The DOJ said in the suit that this incident demonstrates how sanctuary policies force federal officers to expend additional resources to track down individuals who should have been transferred directly from jail.
In another incident, an ICE officer pursuing an escaped detainee who had stolen a vehicle asked for backup from St. Paul police. Officers initially responded but withdrew once they learned it was an immigration enforcement action, despite the subject having escaped from jail and committed additional crimes.
The complaint also alleges that Minnesota’s driver licensing system routinely blocks ICE’s lawful queries, returning error messages that conceal whether records exist. DOJ argues this practice intentionally hampers federal agents’ ability to locate and identify individuals subject to removal.
The DOJ contends that these examples are not isolated incidents but reflect a broader pattern in which state and local policies obstruct federal immigration enforcement, leading to dangerous individuals being released into communities rather than transferred to ICE custody.
The Minnesota lawsuit is part of a nationwide legal strategy launched by Attorney General Bondi on her first day in office. She directed the DOJ Civil Division to identify state and local policies that interfere with federal immigration enforcement and pledged to take legal action. In August 2025, she published a list of sanctuary jurisdictions, including Minnesota, and vowed to end these policies nationwide.
The DOJ has filed similar lawsuits against sanctuary jurisdictions in Boston, New York City, Rochester (NY), New Jersey, Colorado, and Los Angeles. At the same time, some jurisdictions have reversed course: Louisville’s mayor rescinded the city’s sanctuary policy after DOJ threatened litigation, and Nevada recently signed a new Memorandum of Understanding to enhance cooperation on immigration enforcement.
Libby’s Desk
Commentary and must-reads from Libby’s desk, straight to your inbox.
TPM Newsletter
The Post Millennial’s top stories, delivered to your inbox.
