The Justice Department is investigating Minnesota officials, including Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, under the theory that they conspired to impede federal immigration agents, a senior law enforcement official and person familiar with the matter told NBC News.
The law at issue is a rarely used federal statute with roots in the Civil War era. It was one of the statutes listed in a memo from Attorney General Pam Bondi last month, obtained by NBC News, that spelled out the laws that she wanted federal prosecutors to use to target individuals she dubbed domestic terrorists.
On a Positive Note: Judge rules feds in Minneapolis immigration operation can’t detain or tear gas peaceful protesters
— Federal officers in the Minneapolis-area participating in its largest recent U.S. immigration enforcement operation can’t detain or tear gas peaceful protesters who aren’t obstructing authorities, including when these people are observing the agents, a judge in Minnesota ruled Friday.
U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez ruled in a case filed in December on behalf of six Minnesota activists.
Thousands of people have been observing the activities of 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 ruling prohibits the officers from detaining drivers and passengers in vehicles when there is no reasonable suspicion they are obstructing or interfering with the officers.