The Minnesota Senate narrowly passed a bill on Monday that would restrict federal agents from concealing their identities, with exceptions, and create a path for lawsuits over alleged constitutional violations stemming from immigration enforcement in the state. The bill passed with a 34-33 party-line vote and now heads to the House, where it faces an uphill battle with the chamber evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.
The legislation also instructs schools, daycares, and healthcare facilities to deny access to agents seeking to conduct civil immigration enforcement on their premises without a signed judicial warrant, with some exceptions. It prohibits certain civil immigration arrests of people attending court proceedings. Additionally, it gives state officials the authority to investigate deaths involving federal agents’ use of force and creates penalties or civil liability in certain cases when someone fails to render aid after a shooting.
Democratic Sen. Omar Fateh, a co-sponsor of the bill, said the federal government's raids in Minnesota displayed "a show of force against immigrant communities." He claimed agents "broke down doors without a warrant, denied people due process, assaulted, arrested, tear-gassed, and shot peaceful people." This comes as several Democratic-led states have sought to adopt restrictions on immigration agents, particularly after the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in separate incidents in January during immigration raids in Minneapolis that triggered nationwide protests.
Lawmakers in New York reached an agreement with Gov. Kathy Hochul on a final state budget to limit state and local cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and place restrictions on masked agents.