WOW! Trump and ICE just came out ON TOP after big court ruling!

An appeals court on Wednesday moved to block a Minnesota ruling that had imposed strict limits on how federal immigration agents could respond to disruptive and sometimes violent agitators. The decision temporarily restores broader enforcement authority to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers operating in the state.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit issued an administrative stay that pauses a lower court’s preliminary injunction against ICE. That injunction had restricted arrests, detentions, and certain crowd-control tactics used against protesters and so-called “observers” during immigration enforcement operations.

The dispute arises amid Operation Metro Surge, a major Department of Homeland Security initiative launched in early December 2025. More than 3,000 federal agents were deployed to the Minneapolis–St. Paul area, resulting in over 10,000 arrests, according to U.S. Border Patrol officials. The surge has coincided with escalating protests and confrontations around ICE activity.

The case began after the ACLU of Minnesota filed a lawsuit on December 17, 2025, on behalf of six plaintiffs who claimed their First and Fourth Amendment rights were violated while protesting or observing ICE actions. They alleged arrests without probable cause, pepper spray use, intimidation with firearms, and unjustified traffic stops.

On January 16, U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez granted part of the requested injunction, concluding the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on claims of retaliation and unreasonable seizures. She ruled that certain ICE tactics could chill constitutionally protected activity and ordered limits on arrests and the use of force against nonviolent demonstrators.

The DHS and DOJ quickly appealed, arguing the ruling endangered officers and undermined immigration enforcement during volatile operations. Five days later, the Eighth Circuit granted a temporary stay, allowing ICE to continue operating without the imposed restrictions while the appeal proceeds. Attorney General Pam Bondi welcomed the move, saying the Justice Department would protect federal agents “from criminals in the streets and activist judges in the courtroom.”