Federal Judge Issues Subpoenas Aimed at Minnesota Officials
A federal judge has issued subpoenas directed at Minnesota’s Democratic Governor Tim Walz and other Democrats, claiming that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has improperly used its investigative authority to retaliate against state officials for not cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) initiatives.
This legal dispute follows a set of subpoenas from the DOJ earlier this year, involving Walz, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kaoli Ha, and officials in Hennepin and Ramsey counties.
In a ruling released on Monday, U.S. District Judge Patrick Schultz stated that the “primary purpose” of the subpoenas was “to compel Minnesota authorities to assist the federal government in enforcing its civil immigration laws and to harass and retaliate against those authorities who fail to do so.”
He emphasized that there was nothing in the submission to the court that could compromise any potential criminal investigation. “The department is not conducting a criminal investigation, but instead is using the grand jury process for other (illegal) purposes,” Schultz noted in a 29-page decision criticizing the subpoena.
The federal requests sought a year’s worth of internal communications, such as text messages, emails, and policy documents related to local and state immigration enforcement efforts.
This legal action from the DOJ arose mainly from a lawsuit initiated by Minnesota state leaders who aimed to block Operation Metro Surge, which was implemented in December 2025.
Walz, Frey, and other local officials have pushed back against federal calls for cooperation in immigration enforcement, arguing that the responsibility of detaining undocumented immigrants falls on federal agencies like ICE and the Border Patrol.
A spokesperson for the DOJ reacted to the ruling, stating, “The Department of Justice takes unlawful interference with federal law enforcement operations extremely seriously and will continue to investigate these matters in full compliance with the law.”
