Immigration enforcement near MN schools can continue, federal court rules

(FOX 9) - A federal court has denied a request on behalf of several Minnesota school districts to block immigration enforcement activity around public schools, effectively allowing any ICE activity to continue as a lawsuit moves toward trial.

Minnesota schools sue DHS, ICE

What we know:

Filed on behalf of Fridley Public Schools, Duluth Public Schools and Education Minnesota (EdMN), the lawsuit argues that from 1993 until early 2025, immigration enforcement activity at or near certain "sensitive" or "protected" locations, such as schools and places of worship, was generally discouraged under federal agency guidance.

However, in January 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rescinded the previous guidance and broadly directed its agents to use their discretion in choosing where to engage in enforcement operations.

In the lawsuit, Education Minnesota argues that the 2025 guidance "harms EdMN itself because it ‘perceptibly impairs’ the organization’s core activities and drains its resources," and as a result the organization, "has had to divert hours of time and resources to train members about how to handle immigration enforcement near schools and to answer member questions about the threat of such enforcement," which has resulted in EdMN staff spending "less time on their usual duties, like assisting members with labor rights matters."

But a new U.S. District Court ruling filed on Wednesday says that the DHS guidance in 2025 by itself "does not direct the arrest or surveillance of any specific individuals" and that it also "does not direct where any such arrests or surveillance should occur."

As a result, "such enforcement activity is not inherently unlawful," according to the court.

A full copy of the lawsuit can be found below:

School districts challenge federal policy

The backstory:

The coalition of Minnesota school districts and educators filed the federal lawsuit on Feb. 4 against DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that seeks to prevent immigration enforcement near schools, arguing it disrupts education and causes fear.

The story of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos garnered worldwide headlines after ICE agents allegedly used the child as "bait" after school in an effort to detain his father, Liam Conejo Ramos, in Columbia Heights. The two were sent to an immigration detention center in Texas, but have since returned to Minnesota. 

The lawsuit claims that since December 2025, federal enforcement actions have increased around Minnesota schools, leading to school closures and remote e-learning.