Exclusive – Emails leaked between certain Minneapolis area lawyers show attempts to actively block efforts from the Immigration Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) to arrest illegal immigrant defendants in the sanctuary city.
The email was sent to a private list serve or email list on February 6th, according to a member who spoke to Fox News Digital on condition of anonymity.
On the same day, Minnesota's progressive Attorney General Keith Ellison issued a formal legal opinion that state law prohibits state and local law enforcement from retaining someone on the basis of immigrant detainees if others are released from custody.”
“PSF ice” states one subject line, probably referring to public safety facilities. “LRC just learned that a plain clothing ice officer has been discovered today at PSF, Hennepin County. Let's do everything we can to keep our clients safe during these difficult times,” the corresponding email reads.
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PCF Mail Screenshot Ice (Distribution materials)
Many responses from other lawyers continue to suggest that many are requesting a Zoom hearing for illegal immigrant defendants so that they do not have to appear in court in person and therefore avoid ice officers.
Various sanctuary city officials have worked together to oppose the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration since taking office in January. President Donald Trump has signed numerous executive orders with the aim of making efforts to streamline ICE and other law enforcement efforts and implementing the detention and removal process.
The recent Department of Homeland Security (DHS) directive rescinds previous Biden administration guidelines that prevent ice and customs border guards from enforcing the law in “sensitive” areas.
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“This action empowers the brave men and women of CBP and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and capture criminal foreigners, including murderers and rapists. “The Trump administration does not tie our brave law enforcement hands, and instead trusts them to use common sense.”
About 1,000 people were arrested on January 27th, according to the ice. (ice)
“The Biden Harris administration has misused the humanitarian parole program and indiscriminately allows 1.5 million immigrants to enter our country, all of which was stopped on the first day of the Trump administration.
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“I thought we wanted to have a conversation about pooling together within our organization,” said Ronnie Santana of Tamburino Law Group. [a]I'm asking you to convert your hearing [Z]OOM for clients who are thought to be targeted by ice. ” (Distribution materials)
“We thought we wanted to have a conversation about pooling together within our organization,” said Ronnie Santana and Tamburino Law Group on their Minnesota email list. [a]I'm asking you to convert your hearing [Z]OOM for clients who are thought to be targeted by ice. ”
Santana did not respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital.
Janeanne Murrary and Murray Law LLC said in an email thread that she was “called the court clerk and had requested orally. [Z]OOM appearance. ”
“I explained the immigration situation and why I didn't want to put them all into any movements that could be reviewed by the ice. Shortly afterwards I received an email allowing my clients to appear. [Z]OOM (I need to show up directly). The prosecutor was copied via email, but the request was not discussed,” Murray said.
Murray did not respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital.
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Murray later followed up in her email, saying she “called the court clerk and asked verbally. [Z]OOM appearance. ” (Distribution materials)
Barry Catadris, along with the Office of Public Servant for the Third Judicial District, said “the elected judge of the Third Judicial District Court has actively reached out to the PD's office.” [Z]The OOM appears in court against the ice in any case with immigration issues for the state and defense, and the demand is granted “freely”. ”
“So ask for Zoom!!!!!” Katadris wrote.
Cattadoris said he “has not practiced with Hennepin for over a decade,” but he recalled that emails “we don't always get into formal court files if they're not scanned.” He later said in an email that he saw illegal immigrants he saw were seen in custody in the third Judicial District.
“But I've seen people who have not been found guilty and have pending serious charges,” Katadris added.
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Cattadoris did not respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital.
Barry Catadris, along with the Office of Public Servant for the Third Judicial District, said “the elected judge of the Third Judicial District Court has actively reached out to the PD's office.” [Z]The OOM appears in court against the ice in any case with immigration issues for the state and defense, and the demand is granted “freely”. ” (Distribution materials)
One lawyer suggested, “It's probably best to find a reason to request a remote that doesn't explicitly state the issue of immigration.” Another recommendation: “It's an interpreter and says that the interpreter is more effective.” [Z]OOM. “
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Alicia Granse, an ACLU lawyer, wrote, “When we talk about ice…we at ACLU-MN are interested in protecting people from their presence in courts and prisons.”
ICE is flying to take illegal immigrants from the United States to their homeland. (Ice Seattle)
“At least, you shouldn't hold someone based on an ice detainee. They need a judicial warrant based on possible causes,” continued Granze. “If your clients who have iceholds, county officials or other law enforcement respect them, please email me… we might want to sue crap from them.”
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“In previous cases, we have a good settlement for the people and even have a permanent injunction against Noble County to hold someone for the ice,” Grance said.
Granse did not respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital.
Alicia Granse, an ACLU lawyer, wrote, “When we talk about ice…we at ACLU-MN are interested in protecting people from their presence in courts and prisons.” (Distribution materials)
Local officials are not obligated to coordinate with federal officials as long as they retain illegal immigrants based on detainees.
A January memo from ICE states, “ICE immigration enforcement actions in courts near us generally include gang members, threats to national security or public safety, people who have been previously criminally convicted, and people ordered to be taken from the United States,” but those who have been re-entered into the country after being previously illegally deposited.”
ICE agents will attend a pre-enforcement meeting held in Chicago on January 26, 2025, along with other federal law enforcement agencies. (Bloomberg via Christopher Dilt/Getty Images)
Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University and a contributor to Fox News, told Fox News Digital, “suggests that the only reason to convert a hearing into a virtual look is to avoid ice enforcement.”
“There's a legitimate debate about whether the ice should target people seeking judicial review,” Tarley said. “There are few people who want to risk hearings when immigrants are detained as cost of emergence. However, if they have the right to access ICE, they can use virtual hearings that allow federal authorities to cross the Rubicon for some judges as an inappropriate use of federal authorities to block federal enforcement.”
“If there is a legal obstacle for ICE to appear at a hearing, the parties must seek a court's protection order and allow the issue to be reviewed by the Court of Appeal,” added Turley.
Jonathan Turley told Fox News Digital that MacDL emails would “pose serious legal issues regarding the proper use of court resources and orders.” (Fox News)
At the time of publication, authorities have not taken legal action resulting from emails on the ground that the communications represent an active effort to irritate law enforcement, and none of the MACDL members who sent the aforementioned emails have been charged with a crime.
The subsection of title 8 makes it illegal to embrace illegal immigrants. Specifically, Title 8, USC §1324(a)(1)(a)(iii) “It would be a crime to anyone who knows the fact that an alien has come, has broken in, or is violated, or is violating the United States in violation, or is still in the United States in violation. Transportation.”
Another subsection of the same law states that “explicitly criminalizes engaging in a conspiracy to commit, aid, or bet a committee that harbors illegal immigrants.
Furthermore, 18USC §1346 is a crime against “a scheme or technique that robs the intangible rights of honest service from another.” According to Eisner Gorin LLP, honest service fraud includes “misuse of an individual's position or authority over an individual's interest or interest.” “It can be committed by civil servants, corporations, and individuals who have fiduciary duties to another person or entity.”
The Department of Homeland Security logo can be seen at a press conference in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
In 2019, a charge was filed against Massachusetts Judge Shelley Joseph. Shelley Joseph was accused of preventing the federal arrest of an illegal immigrant accused in court. Prosecutors dropped the charges in 2022 after Trump resigned, but scrutiny didn't end there. According to Reuters, the Massachusetts Judicial Action Committee filed an ethical complaint against Joseph in 2024.
MACDL members who sent the email did not respond to Fox News Digital, but the association sent an email to the members following their inquiry by saying, “The author of the email did not agree that they received statements or advice beyond the organization.
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Trump's recent immigration-related executive orders include declaring a national emergency at the border, halting refugees' resettlement, ordering a process of evacuation without reconstruction of asylum and border walls, and the deployment of troops to the border.
As of January 31, ICE had arrested 7,412 illegal immigrants and placed nearly 6,000 ICE detainees on individuals believed to be illegally in the country.
