Judge dismisses Trump administration's 'sanctuary city' lawsuits against city, county, state offices
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A U.S. District Judge has dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuits against the Twin Cities, Hennepin County and the state over what the Justice Department describes as "sanctuary city policies."
Chief Judge Eric Tostrud granted motions Monday to dismiss claims against the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt, the state of Minnesota and state Attorney General Keith Ellison.
The administration argued that the policies — which prohibit local authorities from enforcing federal immigration law — are unconstitutional and should be eliminated.
The government argued that federal law preempts such local policies and laws and that they burden the federal government.
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Tostrud said 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,” Tostrud wrote in his ruling. “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 U.S. Department of Justice also took aim at an advisory opinion issued by Attorney General Keith Ellison that found the Minnesota Constitution didn’t allow jails to hold people in custody longer because the federal government wanted them on civil immigration violations.
The judge found that the federal government’s claim that Ellison’s advisory decision prohibited local officials from contracting with federal immigration enforcement was not plausible.
This is not the first time the courts have blocked the president’s efforts to punish cities with similar policies. In 2025, a federal judge stopped Trump from withholding federal funding from cities that refuse to assist with immigration enforcement, including Minneapolis. Minnesota has also been threatened with cuts to federal Medicaid funds and SNAP benefits by President Donald Trump’s administration, which local officials said were politically motivated.
