Gov. Tony Evers and a coalition of states filed a new lawsuit supporting Minnesota’s lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump and the Trump administration’s deployment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol in Minnesota, and is petitioning for a temporary restraining order against the federal government’s actions.
The filing states Wisconsin and the coalition “have a strong interest in ensuring that federal immigration enforcement is not used as an excuse to infringe the sovereignty of the States.
“Under the claimed auspices of carrying out immigration enforcement, the federal government has seriously undermined state and local authorities and made it impossible for the public to go about their day-to-day activities because they fear being stopped, tear gassed or worse. If left unchecked, the federal government will no doubt be emboldened to continue its unlawful conduct in Minnesota and to repeat it elsewhere.”
Evers said in a statement that “Wisconsin stands with our neighbors across the river in Minnesota. American citizens are having their rights and freedoms violated and are being put in unsafe and life-threatening situations in their own communities. Two have already lost their lives. It has to stop.”
Evers said granting an injunction is necessary to protect Minnesota against unlawful immigration enforcement actions.
Most recently, ICE agents fatally shot Alex Pretti in the street across from Glam Doll donuts on Saturday. Earlier this month, Minnesota resident Renee Good was also fatally shot by ICE agents.
Wisconsin joins Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai’i, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington in filing the amicus brief.
