Wisconsin has joined a multistate legal effort urging a federal judge to rein in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minnesota, arguing the agency’s conduct has crossed constitutional boundaries and harmed local communities.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul signed onto an amicus brief filed late last week alongside nearly 20 other Democratic attorneys general in support of a lawsuit brought by Minnesota. The filing argues that ICE’s actions in the Twin Cities amount to an “extreme” federal overreach that violates Minnesota’s sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment.
In an interview with Wisconsin Public Radio, Kaul said what is unfolding in Minnesota represents a direct threat to state authority and public safety. (RELATED: Wisconsin Governor Race 2026: Crowley Leads Democrat Fundraising Surge)
“States are sovereign, and I don’t want to see the kind of thing that’s happening in the Minneapolis area play out in communities in Wisconsin or anywhere else in the country,” Kaul said. “What we see is this incredibly militarized presence of people in Minneapolis and a community that is really under siege. That should never be happening in any community in America.”
The lawsuit was filed Jan. 12 by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, days after an ICE agent fatally shot Minneapolis resident Renee Good. Minnesota is asking a federal judge to issue a temporary restraining order forcing ICE to scale back what officials have described as a surge of enforcement activity.
According to court filings, more than 3,000 federal immigration agents were sent to the Twin Cities as part of “Operation Metro Surge.” The lawsuit alleges ICE agents have engaged in “unlawful” conduct, including threatening bystanders, pointing firearms at people who posed no threat, using force against peaceful protesters and carrying out enforcement actions at sensitive locations such as schools, churches and hospitals.
“Defendants’ extreme and unlawful conduct is ripping at the fabric of our society,” the coalition of attorneys general wrote, describing pregnant women missing medical appointments and businesses reporting revenue losses of 50% to 80%, attributing it to ICE and not to the rampant anti-ICE protests.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, has argued that federal agents are lawfully enforcing immigration statutes. Kaul rejected that claim. (RELATED: “Hate-Filled Proposal” Democrats Lash Out Against Ballot Initiative to Eliminate DEI)
While some Democrats have called for ICE to be abolished, Kaul stopped short of that position, saying instead that the agency must be “fundamentally transformed” to respect constitutional limits.
