October 1, 2026
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal prosecutors served six grand jury subpoenas Tuesday to Minnesota officials as part of an investigation into whether they obstructed or impeded federal law enforcement during a sweeping immigration operation in Minneapolis-St. Paul area, a person familiar with the matter said.
The subpoenas, which seek records, were sent to the offices of Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, and officials in Ramsey and Hennepin counties, the person said.
The person was not authorized to publicly discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The subpoenas are related to an investigation into whether Minnesota officials obstructed federal immigration enforcement through public statements they made, two people familiar with the matter said on Friday. They said then it was focused on the potential violation of a conspiracy statute.
Walz and Frey have called the probe a bullying tactic meant to threaten political opposition.
Frey on Friday described the investigation as an attempt to intimidate him for “standing up for Minneapolis, our local law enforcement, and our residents against the chaos and danger this Administration has brought to our streets.”
The subpoenas came as the Trump administration urged a judge to reject efforts by Minnesota and its largest cities to stop the immigration enforcement surge.
The Justice Department called the lawsuit, filed soon after the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an immigration officer, “legally frivolous.” Lawyers argued that the Department of Homeland Security is acting within its legal powers to enforce immigration laws.
Operation Metro Surge has made the state safer with the arrests of more than 3,000 people who were in the country illegally, the government said Monday in a court filing.
“Put simply, Minnesota wants a veto over federal law enforcement,” Justice Department attorneys wrote.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said the government is violating free speech and other constitutional rights with its unprecedented sweeps.
The lawsuit filed Jan. 12 seeks an order to halt or limit the enforcement action. More filings are expected, and it's not known when U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez will make a decision.
Ilan Wurman, who teaches constitutional law at University of Minnesota Law School, doubts the state's arguments will be successful.
“There's no question that federal law is supreme over state law, that immigration enforcement is within the power of the federal government, and the president, within statutory bounds, can allocate more federal enforcement resources to states who’ve been less cooperative in that enforcement space than other states have been,” Wurman told The Associated Press.
In a separate lawsuit, Menendez said Friday that federal officers can’t detain or tear gas peaceful protesters who aren’t obstructing authorities.
Good, 37, was killed on Jan. 7 as she moving her vehicle, which had been blocking a Minneapolis street where Immigration and Customers Enforcement officers were operating, towards an ICE officer. Trump administration officials say the officer, Jonathan Ross, shot her in self-defense.
Since then, the public has repeatedly confronted officers, blowing whistles and yelling insults at ICE and U.S. Border Patrol. They, in turn, have used tear gas and chemical irritants against protesters.
On Sunday, anti-ICE protestors invaded an evangelical church, disrupting the morning worship service, chanting slogans. The protestors alleged one of the church’s pastors is a member of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) within the Department of Homeland Security.
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