Federal judge stops investigations against Trump opponents

Migration policy

Federal judge stops investigations against Trump opponents

A judge accuses the Trump administration of pressuring politicians in Minnesota with investigations. The subpoenas served to intimidate and were unconstitutional.

A federal judge has ordered the US government to investigate Minnesota’s governor Tim Waltz and stopped other Democratic officials for allegedly obstructing immigration authorities. Judge Patrick Schiltz said in a ruling published on Monday (local time) that the subpoenas were issued for unconstitutional reasons.

Walz is considered a prominent Trump opponent. His state became the scene of protests earlier this year against Trump’s harsh migration policies and controversial raids against migrants.

In January, the US Department of Justice sent subpoenas to Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and other authorities and municipalities. The agency said at the time that it was investigating possible obstruction of immigration enforcement.

Schiltz declared the subpoenas legally invalid. The “predominant purpose” was to support those responsible in Minnesota Federal Government to coerce and “harass” them in enforcing immigration law and retaliate against them for failing to do so.

The judge also referred to the Constitution, which in the United States sets limits on the federal government if it wants to oblige states to implement federal law. The evidence that the subpoenas were issued for improper reasons was “overwhelming,” Schiltz wrote. At the same time, the Ministry of Justice was unable to provide any plausible justification for the investigation.

The conflict was triggered by a large-scale immigration operation in Minnesota in late 2025 and early 2026. According to court information, more than 3,000 federal officers were deployed at times. Walz, Ellison and other Democratic politicians sharply criticized the approach. Walz described the operation as a “campaign of organized brutality” and announced that Minnesota would allow federal officials to investigate alleged attacks themselves.

The state and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul filed a lawsuit against the measures in January. Shortly afterwards, Trump announced on his platform Truth Social announced that the “day of reckoning and retribution” would come.

After the decision was published, Ellison spoke of a rare and clear step by the court. Walz described the decision as a victory for the rule of law and democracy.