The Trump administration scored a major legal victory Monday after the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals halted a Biden-appointed judge’s controversial attempt to restrict ICE operations in Minnesota.
A three-judge panel temporarily blocked District Judge Kate Menendez’s sweeping order, which had barred federal immigration agents from stopping vehicles without “reasonable articulable suspicion” and prohibited them from responding to protesters unless they could prove the protest was not “peaceful and unobstructive.”
The panel called Menendez’s ruling “too broad” and “too vague,” warning that it would paralyze federal agents on the ground and dangerously limit their ability to respond to fast-moving and often hostile situations.
“We accessed and viewed the same videos the district court did,” the panel wrote. “What they show is observers and protestors engaging in a wide range of conduct, some of it peaceful but much of it not.”
The court added that the footage clearly showed ICE officers facing crowds that were “getting in their faces,” blocking vehicles, and interfering with ongoing operations. They noted that Judge Menendez’s order failed to account for the complexity of these situations, which can shift rapidly from lawful to unlawful conduct.
The case comes as the Trump administration ramps up immigration enforcement in Minnesota following the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, both of whom were shot by federal agents during separate anti-ICE confrontations. Agents have faced increasingly aggressive mobs of left-wing agitators in recent weeks, with chants like “Kill an ICE, Save a Life” becoming common at protests.
The 8th Circuit warned that Menendez’s ruling risked becoming a “universal injunction by another name.” The Supreme Court previously limited federal judges’ ability to unilaterally block executive actions with broad national impact—a tactic often used during Trump’s first term to delay or derail his agenda.
The judges emphasized that the vague language in Menendez’s ruling could “cause ICE officers to hesitate in performing their lawful duties,” jeopardizing both public safety and national security.
Attorney General Pam Bondi hailed the decision as a crucial win for law and order.
“Liberal judges tried to handcuff our federal law enforcement officers, restrict their actions, and put their safety at risk when responding to violent agitators,” Bondi wrote on X. “The DOJ went to court. We got a temporary stay. NOW, the 8th Circuit has fully agreed that this reckless attempt to undermine law enforcement cannot stand.”
Judge Menendez, a Biden appointee, is also presiding over a separate lawsuit filed by Minnesota Democrats and local officials challenging the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
But for now, ICE agents in Minnesota will not be held back by political activism from the bench. The ruling ensures they can continue their mission without being second-guessed in real time by courtroom ideologues.
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