Eighth Circuit Stays Menendez Order, Minnesota Judges Clash With ICE
Eighth Circuit grants a stay of Judge Kate Menendez's Jan. 16 injunction limiting ICE tactics while appeal proceeds.
Overview
The Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an administrative stay on Jan. 26 halting enforcement of U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez's Jan. 16 injunction that barred ICE from certain arrests, detentions and use of nonlethal munitions, officials confirmed.
The stay comes amid protests sparked by the Jan. 7 fatal shooting of Renee Good and the Jan. 24 fatal shooting of Alex Pretti during federal immigration enforcement, intensifying scrutiny of Operation Metro Surge, court filings and local officials said.
Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz summoned acting ICE Director Todd Lyons to appear in Minnesota federal court on Friday and warned Lyons may face contempt for allegedly defying court orders, in a three-page order filed Monday evening.
Federal courts in Minnesota have received a surge of emergency lawsuits alleging unlawful detention, with judges issuing release orders and describing moves like transferring detainees to Texas or releasing them far from home, according to court documents and judges' statements.
The appeals court said Menendez's injunction likely fails because it amounted to a broad, uncertified class injunction and was too vague to guide officers, and the stay will remain while the government's interlocutory appeal proceeds, court records show.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the dispute as an unprecedented breakdown in federal–state cooperation, foregrounding state legal moves and civil-rights concerns while downplaying federal rationale. Through selection of critical former prosecutors, recurring terms like “unprecedented” and “broken,” and front-loading state rebuttals and evidence, the coverage emphasizes federal overreach and politicized enforcement.
Sources (16)
FAQ
The injunction barred ICE from certain arrests, detentions, and use of nonlethal munitions during immigration enforcement operations, following claims of First and Fourth Amendment violations against protesters observing Operation Metro Surge.
The appeals court found the injunction likely failed as it was a broad, uncertified class injunction that was too vague to guide officers, and the stay remains during the government's appeal.
It is a large-scale DHS immigration enforcement operation launched on Nov. 30, 2025, sending 3,000 federal officers to Minneapolis and St. Paul for arrests amid tensions over state sanctuary policies.
Protests were sparked by the Jan. 7 fatal shooting of Renee Good and the Jan. 24 fatal shooting of Alex Pretti during federal immigration enforcement operations.
He summoned acting ICE Director Todd Lyons to appear in court and warned of potential contempt for allegedly defying court orders on detainee handling.
History
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