A federal judge has dealt a major blow to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign, throwing out multiple Department of Justice (DOJ) grand jury subpoenas targeting Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and several other Democrat officials.
In a stunning ruling unsealed Monday, U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz—a George W. Bush appointee—concluded that the subpoenas were not part of a legitimate criminal investigation but were instead issued to pressure and intimidate political opponents into supporting the administration’s immigration agenda.
“There is no doubt,” Schiltz wrote, that the subpoenas were issued to “harass” Minnesota officials and coerce them into assisting federal immigration enforcement efforts. According to the judge, the DOJ’s actions amounted to an unconstitutional abuse of the grand jury process.
The ruling represents one of the strongest judicial rebukes yet of the Trump Administration.
Schiltz’s 29-page opinion did not mince words.
“And, of course, this campaign played out against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s well-established history of using criminal investigations to retaliate against and pressure the President’s political and personal adversaries,” the judge wrote.
The subpoenas were issued earlier this year as part of a Justice Department investigation into whether Minnesota officials had obstructed federal immigration operations during the administration’s controversial immigration crackdown in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
Among those targeted were:
- Gov. Tim Walz
- Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison
- Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey
- St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her
- Officials in Hennepin and Ramsey counties
Federal prosecutors sought records and communications related to immigration enforcement policies and public criticism of federal immigration operations.
Escalation of a Bitter Immigration Fight
The subpoenas emerged amid a broader confrontation between the Trump administration and Minnesota Democrats over aggressive immigration enforcement actions carried out during “Operation Metro Surge,” a large-scale federal operation that sparked widespread protests and legal challenges across the state.
At the time, DOJ officials alleged Minnesota leaders may have conspired to impede federal immigration officers. Walz, Frey, and other state leaders blasted the investigation as political retaliation designed to silence criticism of federal immigration tactics.
Frey previously described the investigation as an “obvious attempt to intimidate” local officials, while Walz accused the administration of weaponizing the justice system against political opponents.
Major Setback for DOJ
Schiltz ultimately found that prosecutors failed to demonstrate a legitimate criminal basis for the subpoenas.
According to the ruling, the “dominant purpose” behind the DOJ’s actions was to pressure Minnesota officials into helping enforce federal immigration law and punish them for refusing to do so. The judge further noted that states are under no legal obligation to use their own resources to carry out federal immigration enforcement.
The decision effectively halts one of the administration’s highest-profile investigations into Democrat state and local officials and is expected to intensify scrutiny over allegations that federal law enforcement agencies are being used for political purposes.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
