DOJ lawsuit claims Minnesota sanctuary policies allow 'dangerous criminals' to avoid removal

The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against Minnesota over its sanctuary policies that the Trump administration says interfere with the federal establishment s enforcement efforts on illegal immigration The complaint filed Monday names the State of Minnesota Hennepin County Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna S Witt Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and the Cities of Minneapolis and St Paul as defendants The complaint argues that not only are sanctuary policies illegal under federal law but lead to the release of dangerous criminals who would otherwise be subject to removal including illegal immigrants convicted of serious crimes Minnesota agents are jeopardizing the safety of their own citizens by allowing illegal aliens to circumvent the legal process Attorney General Pamela Bondi mentioned in a announcement This Department of Justice will continue to bring litigation against any jurisdiction that uses sanctuary policies to defy federal law and undermine law enforcement SANCTUARY CITIES DEFY BONDI S DEADLINE TO COOPERATE NO INTENTION OF CHANGING Saint Paul characterized the lawsuit as an effective attack on the city s long-standing separation ordinance an essential program that promotes community safety builds district trust and reflects Saint Paul s commitment to serving and protecting all residents regardless of immigration status BONDI PUTS SANCTUARY CITIES NATIONWIDE ON NOTICE AFTER DC POLICE FEDERAL TAKEOVER City employees don t work for the president we work for the people who live here We will stand with our immigrant and refugee neighbors no matter how numerous unconstitutional proposes the White House makes St Paul Mayor Melvin Carter mentioned in a comment We ve proven our resolve in two effective court actions already this year and we look forward to winning our third legal win in a row against this embarrassing federal regime Monday s complaint comes after Attorney General Bondi last month published a list of sanctuary jurisdictions that included Minnesota Boston New York City New Jersey Colorado and Los Angeles were among the other jurisdictions included Fox News Digital has reached out to the offices of Gov Tim Walz Attorney General Ellison Hennepin County Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna S Witt and the City of Minneapolis for comment The Trump Justice Department filed similar lawsuits against the cities of New York and Los Angeles over the summer as well as Boston earlier this month