Court lifts restrictions on immigration officers’ tactics in Minnesota

By STEVE KARNOWSKI and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An appeals court on Wednesday suspended a decision that restricts immigration officers’ aggressive tactics in Minnesota, while Maine declined a request for more undercover license plates for U.S. Customs and Border Protection vehicles, citing “abuses of power” during the Trump administration’s crackdown.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was persuaded to freeze a judge’s ruling that bars officers from using tear gas and other steps against peaceful protesters while the administration pursues an appeal. Operation Metro Surge, an immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, began in early December.

An injunction ordered last week by U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez harms “officers’ ability to protect themselves and the public in very dangerous circumstances,” lawyers for the government argued.

Minnesota remains a major focus of immigration sweeps by agencies under the Department of Homeland Security. State and local officials who oppose the effort were served with federal grand jury subpoenas Tuesday for records that might suggest they were trying to stifle enforcement.

A political action committee ...