A federal judge asked a Justice Department attorney about the federal government’s motivation behind the immigration crackdown in Minnesota during a hearing on the state’s request for an emergency halt to the immigration enforcement.
“So the goal of the surge is not to get the state and cities to change sanctuary policies?” Menendez asked Brantley Mayers, counsel to the DOJ’s assistant attorney general.
No, Mayers said — the goal is to enforce federal law.
The judge also expressed skepticism about a letter recently sent by Attorney General Pam Bondi to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz asking the state to allow the federal government to access state voter roles, turn over state Medicaid and food assistance records, and repeal sanctuary policies. All three requests are the subject of litigation, she noted.
“Would 10,000 ICE agents on the ground in the Twin Cities cross the line?” Menendez asked Mayers. “I mean, is there no limit to what the executive can do under the guise of enforcing immigration law?”
Mayers said one lawful action shouldn’t be used to discredit another lawful action.
“I don’t see how the fact that we’re also doing additional things that we are allowed to do, that the Constitution has vested us with doing, would in any way negate another piece of the same operation, the same surge.”