U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez ruled on January 16, 2026 that federal officers participating in the largest recent U.S. immigration enforcement operation in the Minneapolis area cannot detain or tear gas peaceful protesters. The ruling came in a case filed in December on behalf of six Minnesota activists. Thousands of people have been observing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol officers enforcing the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area since early December. The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota said government officers are violating the constitutional rights of Twin Cities residents, and government attorneys said the officers acted within their legal authority to enforce immigration laws and protect themselves.