STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Two states have filed new lawsuits against the Trump administration. Illinois and Minnesota both allege the administration went beyond the Constitution in its immigration enforcement. The hottest attention right now is on Minnesota, where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed Renee Macklin Good last week. The FBI has moved to investigate that shooting on its own, excluding state authorities. In a few minutes, we'll hear a former U.S. attorney from Minnesota about that approach. We begin with the state's lawsuit.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
NPR's Sergio Martínez-Beltrán is reporting from Minneapolis, and he's with us now. Good morning, Sergio.
SERGIO MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN, BYLINE: Hey, Michel.
MARTIN: So what can you tell us about some of the allegations in this lawsuit?
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Yes. State officials say that during this federal search, federal immigration agents have arrested peaceful bystanders, that they've detained U.S. citizens and fired chemical irritants at demonstrators and others exercising their First Amendment rights. The lawsuit also alleges agents have racially profiled people. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says, all of this is unconstitutional.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
KEITH ELLISON: We ask that the courts will end the surge of thousands of DHS agents into Minnesota. We ask the courts to end the DHS unlawful behavior in our state - the intimidation, the threats, the violence.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Now, the Trump administration is pushing back on these allegations. Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin accused Ellison of prioritizing politics over public safety and called the allegations of racial profiling false, saying, quote, "law enforcement uses reasonable suspicion to make arrests as protected under the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution."
MARTIN: Sergio, you've been out there, and you've also reported on immigration enforcement actions elsewhere in the country. So what's standing out to you about the situation in Minneapolis?
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: There are more than 2,000 federal agents in the state. So there's a lot of immigration enforcement activity, especially in the Minneapolis area. Yesterday, Michel, I witnessed multiple instances where immigration officers questioned people about their immigration status, and it didn't seem like a targeted operation. I saw them briefly detain a man, despite him telling them he was a citizen. In another instance, agents questioned drivers who were charging their electric cars in a parking lot. Joel Keleekai (ph) is a permanent U.S. resident, and he showed proof of it to agents. I talked to him afterwards, and this is what he told me.
JOEL KELEEKAI: We don't want this to escalate. As you see, you know, ICE going around now, people are getting killed. Yeah, so we just got to do our best out here to make sure that we live to see tomorrow, you know what I mean? Yeah.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: In a statement, the DHS spokesperson says ICE does not randomly arrest people or conduct operations without specific objectives, but it's unclear why immigration agents chose to question Keleekai and the others who were charging their vehicles. They were people of color, and all of them produced documentation that showed they are in the U.S. legally.
MARTIN: What are you following in the next couple of days?
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Again, Michel, the way these immigration enforcement actions are being carried out is something to watch for. Another thing that's clear - many people in Minneapolis do not want ICE around, and it's starting to seem like residents are more defiant, willing to protest more. We've already seen federal agents use pepper spray and tear gas to quell some of these protests. So the escalation in enforcement and protests is something I'll be paying attention to.
MARTIN: That is NPR's Sergio Martínez-Beltrán in Minneapolis. Sergio, thank you.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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