Filed Date: Sept. 29, 2025
Case Ongoing
Clearinghouse coding complete
On September 29, 2025, the United States filed this lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota (St. Paul Division) against the State of Minnesota, the City of Minneapolis, the City of St. Paul, Hennepin County, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna S. Witt. The complaint, brought by the Department of Justice’s Office of Immigration Litigation, alleges that Minnesota and its local jurisdictions adopted a network of state statutes, constitutional provisions, city ordinances, and county directives designed to block cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The federal government claimed that Minnesota’s policies “deliberately impede” federal enforcement operations. The complaint specifically targeted Minnesota Stat. § 171.12, subds. 7b and 11, and § 168.327, which condition information-sharing on non-use for civil immigration enforcement and impose penalties for disclosures to ICE; Minneapolis Code ch. 19 and St. Paul Code ch. 44, which prohibit local officers from questioning, arresting, or detaining persons for civil-immigration violations or communicating with DHS; and Hennepin County Sheriff Directive 21-02, which forbids the jail from holding individuals solely on an ICE detainer or notifying ICE of releases.
The United States alleged these measures violated the Supremacy Clause by (1) being preempted under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and related federal regulations, and (2) discriminating against the federal government in violation of the doctrine of intergovernmental immunity. The complaint asserted that Minnesota’s laws obstruct mandatory federal processes such as immigration detainers (8 C.F.R. § 287.7) and information-sharing requirements (8 U.S.C. §§ 1373 and 1644), thereby preventing ICE from safely assuming custody of criminal noncitizens upon release from local jails. Plaintiffs sought declaratory and injunctive relief to invalidate the challenged statutes, ordinances, and directives. It asked the court to bar Minnesota and its local governments from enforcing any provision that prohibits cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, restricts information-sharing with DHS, or conditions access to state data on non-use for immigration purposes.
The case remains ongoing as of December 2025. No responsive filings or scheduling orders have yet appeared on the public docket.
Summary Authors
Claire Pollard (9/30/2025)
Jack Buckfire (12/1/2025)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71492219/parties/united-states-v-state-of-minnesota/
Kurz, Julian Michael (Minnesota)
Perez, Elianis N (Minnesota)
Hsu, Alexander (Minnesota)
McGregor, Sparrowleaf Dilts (Minnesota)
McLaren, Sarah C (Minnesota)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71492219/united-states-v-state-of-minnesota/
Last updated Dec. 25, 2025, 2:27 a.m.
State / Territory:
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Trump 1.0 & 2.0 Immigration Enforcement Order Challenges
Trump Administration 2.0: Litigation and Investigations By the Government
Key Dates
Filing Date: Sept. 29, 2025
Case Ongoing: Yes
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
The United States of America
Plaintiff Type(s):
U.S. Dept of Justice plaintiff
Public Interest Lawyer: No
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Declaratory Judgment Act, 28 U.S.C. § 2201
Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), 8 U.S.C. §§ 1101 et seq.
Constitutional Clause(s):
Other Dockets:
District of Minnesota 0:25-cv-03798
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: None Yet / None
Relief Sought:
Relief Granted:
Source of Relief:
Content of Injunction:
Issues
Immigration/Border:
Undocumented immigrants - state and local regulation
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions: