The Daily Fuckup

A federal judge on January 31, 2026, denied Minnesota’s request for emergency court relief that would have stopped Operation Metro Surge, the federal immigration enforcement campaign now unfolding in the state. The case remains active, but the judge did not issue a final ruling on whether the operation is lawful. ([docs.justia.com](https://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/minnesota/mndce/0%3A2026cv00190/230268/135))

In the order, U.S. District Judge Katherine M. Menendez said the plaintiffs — the state of Minnesota, Minneapolis and St. Paul — had not met the standard for the extraordinary step of halting a federal law-enforcement operation before the court reaches the merits. She also said the court was not deciding the legality of specific actions by federal agents, only whether to grant interim relief while the lawsuit proceeds. ([docs.justia.com](https://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/minnesota/mndce/0%3A2026cv00190/230268/135))

The order leaves Operation Metro Surge in place for now. It also recognizes the plaintiffs had made a substantial showing about the impact they say the operation is having on the state and the Twin Cities, including strain on local resources and public fear. But that finding was not enough, in the judge’s view, to justify an immediate stop. ([docs.justia.com](https://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/minnesota/mndce/0%3A2026cv00190/230268/135))

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said his office and the cities are continuing the fight in court. The state’s lawsuit, filed on January 12, 2026, challenges the federal operation as unconstitutional and unlawful and seeks to shut it down. ([ag.state.mn.us](https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Office/Communications/2026/01/31_ICE-Surge.asp))