Trump admin gets major win as restrictions on ICE agents in Minnesota blocked by appeals court

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday by blocking restrictions that a lower court had imposed on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials confronting anti-ICE protesters and violent activists in Minnesota.

In a Monday ruling, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stayed a preliminary injunction issued on January 16 by U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez that prevented ICE officers from detaining, arresting, retaliating against, or pepper-spraying anti-ICE protesters in Minneapolis without probable cause despite protesters repeatedly attempting to obstruct and disrupt federal law enforcement operations throughout the city, according to Fox News. 

The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals explained that the stay was granted on behalf of the Trump administration as the lower court’s preliminary injunction is “unlikely to survive the government’s interlocutory appeal.”

“We accessed and viewed the same videos the district court did,” the court stated. “What they show is observers and protesters engaging in a wide range of conduct, some of it peaceful but much of it not. They also show federal agents responding in various ways.”

Fox News reported that the preliminary injunction overturned by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals came in response to a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and ICE that claimed federal law enforcement officials violated the civil rights of six anti-ICE protesters. The outlet noted that Menendez accused ICE agents of conducting arrests, conducting traffic stops, pointing weapons, and using pepper spray against peaceful anti-ICE protesters. 

In response to the preliminary injunction, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals issued an administrative stay that temporarily halted the restrictions the lower court imposed on ICE officials in Minnesota. In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi celebrated Monday’s “FULL STAY” ruling and described it as a win against “judicial activism in Minnesota.”

“Liberal judges tried to handcuff our federal law enforcement officers, restrict their actions, and put their safety at risk when responding to violent agitators,” Bondi said. “The DOJ went to court. We got a temporary stay. NOW, the 8th Circuit has fully agreed that this reckless attempt to undermine law enforcement cannot stand.”