The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Minnesota, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Hennepin County, and two officials — Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison and Hennepin County sheriff Dawanna S. Witt — alleging that state and local “sanctuary” rules unlawfully obstruct federal immigration enforcement.
Filed on Sep. 29 in the District of Minnesota (Case No. 0:25-cv-03798), the complaint argues that multiple state statutes, city ordinances, a county sheriff directive, and even an interpretation of the Minnesota Constitution stand as obstacles to the “federal government’s enforcement of immigration laws.” The lawsuit is one of a series brought by the DOJ’s Civil Division nationwide, according to the Sep. 29 press release.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi framed the stakes plainly, accusing state and local leaders of “jeopardizing the safety of their own citizens” by blocking cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The suit alleges that their policies “intentionally obstruct federal law enforcement,” leading to the release of removable offenders, including those convicted of violent and trafficking crimes.
The complaint points to a recent example: Minneapolis police arrested an illegal alien, German Adriano Llangari Inga, for vehicular homicide in August 2024. After Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer, the county jail allegedly refused to honor it and released the suspect without notification — forcing ICE to locate and re-arrest him later.
According to the complaint, Llangari was charged in May 2025 with “criminal vehicular homicide.” Llangari was charged with killing Victoria Eileen Harwell, 31, of Minneapolis while driving drunk. At the time of the crash, according to reporting from the Minneapolis Star Tribune, “Llangari Inga was subject to a 2016 ICE order for expedited removal from the United States.”
Llangari was eventually arrested in Hennepin County, and “ICE lodged an immigration detainer.” However, he posted bail, leading to his release from the Hennepin County Jail, which failed to honor the detainer and failed to notify ICE of his release. Unnecessary taxpayer resources were then marshaled three days later to again apprehend Llangari in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. DOJ cites his case as emblematic of the public safety risks created by non-cooperation.
At the heart of the government’s case are the Supremacy Clause and certain local statutes, codes, and administrative directives. The government’s theory rests on federal pre-emption and intergovernmental immunity. In other words, the federal government is not just arguing that local authorities should cooperate; it is arguing that local authorities and codes cannot legally block the federal government from carrying out its duties. Furthermore, states and cities, according to the DOJ, cannot regulate or discriminate against the federal government, or those working with it, in a way that targets or burdens federal operations.
Therefore, in the spirit of the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, the suit asks the court to declare invalid and enjoin enforcement of the following local provisions:
Together, the Department of Justice says these rules “ban local officials from honoring voluntary detainers” and prohibit agencies from sharing basic custody and release information with ICE, hindering the safe transfer of criminal aliens to federal custody.
The lawsuit comes on the heels of several policy-related directives from the Trump administration. In August, the Justice Department published a list of states, cities, and counties that have sanctuary policies that “impede enforcement of federal immigration laws.” The sanctuary list follows President Trump’s April 28, 2025 Executive Order 14287, “Protecting Communities from Criminal Aliens.”
In addition, Bondi issued a memorandum on her first day in office, Feb. 5, 2025, directing DOJ employees to comply with the administration’s alien removal policies. In a nutshell, Bondi directed the DOJ to cut off or condition Justice Department funding to “sanctuary jurisdictions” that restrict information-sharing or otherwise undermine federal immigration enforcement, and to pause, review, and potentially claw back funds to NGOs that provide services to “removable or illegal aliens.”
The directive also requires that, within 30–60 days, DOJ components inventory affected grants and NGO agreements, require certifications that funds aren’t facilitating immigration law violations, and recommend terminations or resumptions consistent with law. Finally, the memo states that the DOJ will also pursue civil and criminal enforcement against state and local policies or actors that impede lawful federal operations, citing authorities like 8 USC §§1373, 1324, and 18 USC §371, and will use a “Sanctuary Cities Enforcement Working Group,” defined in a Jan. 21, 2025 memo, to identify and challenge obstructive laws or practices.
