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Coalition of attorneys general on Operation Metro Surge
The trio of attorneys general spoke to Minnesota residents about navigating the challenges of federal funding uncertainty, immigration as well as civil and human rights. FOX 9's Soyoung Kim has the latest report.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison hosted a town hall in Minneapolis Wednesday discussing actions the state has taken against the Trump administration.
A coalition of attorneys general heard from community members about the impact that the federal immigration crackdown left behind.
The fallout
What they're saying:
Ellison was joined by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield. The town hall was held at Shiloh Temple International Ministries in Minneapolis.
The trio of attorneys general talked to the crowd about how they learned from one another about navigating a wide range of challenges from federal funding uncertainty to immigration, and civil and human rights.
"You have cooperation in terms of strategy where we’re all talking together at the AG level, which happens very frequently," said Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield.
"The fact that we travel to different jurisdictions to support one another is just a reflection of our ongoing collaboration," said Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
Some community members shared their concerns about the impact of the federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota.
"The fear, the trauma, the disruption to families and communities cannot be reimbursed, but the economic damage can be addressed," said Aaron Rosenthal, Research Director of Northstar Policy Action.
"Operation Metro Surge will have lasting and deeply harmful impacts on our students, families, and broader school communities for years to come," said Zena Stenvik, Superintendent of Columbia Heights Public Schools.
The other side:
Federal officials say immigration enforcement efforts are making communities safer. Plus, the reason for federal funding freezes are in response to widespread fraud allegations.
What's next:
Ellison also talked about the latest in Minnesota’s legal battle to gain access to evidence in three shootings involving federal immigration agents during Operation Metro Surge.
The state sued the Trump administration in March. The civil lawsuit was filed in a federal court in Washington D.C. It asks a judge to force the government to share evidence in the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, as well as the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis.
Ellison says that effort is pending and ongoing.
"We work every single day on this matter. We’re continuing to investigate. We’re continuing to prepare. I suspect that there will be dispositive motion practice in the near future. I’m not prepared to say the date of that now. But I can tell you that they have 60 days to respond, but we don’t have to wait to bring a motion to tell the court to tell them to give us the information," said Ellison.