The plaintiffs had argued that the Trump administration violated the 10th amendment of the constitution, which enshrines states' autonomy from federal intervention beyond powers outlined in the constitution, through the ICE operation. But these claims provided no metric by which to determine when lawful law enforcement becomes unlawful commandeering, simply arguing that the excesses of Operation Metro Surge are so extreme that the surge exceeds whatever line must exist, wrote Menendez, who was nominated to the bench during Joe Biden's presidency in 2021.
The urgency marked a clear shift from Trump's posture during the 43-day shutdown late last year, when he publicly antagonized Democratic leaders and his team mocked them on social media. This time, with anger rising over shootings in Minneapolis and the GOP's midterm messaging on tax cuts drowned out by controversy, Trump acted quickly to make a deal with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
On Saturday, the same day that federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti on a Minneapolis street, the Justice Department sent a letter to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. The letter did not have anything to say about the violence caused by the Department of Homeland Security's presence in the state. Nor did it offer Minnesota any assistance in the investigation of Pretti's death or that of Renee Good's just more than two weeks earlier.
The scheduled Saturday contest between the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves was postponed and pushed back to Sunday afternoon. The NBA cited safety concerns as the reason for the schedule adjustment. The decision was made to prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community, the NBA said in its announcement. Earlier Saturday, federal immigration agents in Minnesota shot and killed a man, according to multiple news outlets. Multiple shootings involving federal agents in recent weeks have raised tensions in Minneapolis and nearby St Paul.
GOV. TIM WALZ: And the attacks we see, we see a Fox News host on air talk about killing homeless people. And this week we saw eight homeless people shot in Minneapolis. And so, the consistency around this certainly isn't there, but none of this surprises me with Donald Trump. But, Chris, I think the thing I am concerned about is this is not overreacting. This is our responsibility now. Getting a democracy back after it's gone is a lot harder than defending it now.
