Minnesota school districts and teachers union challenge Trump policy in court
Two Minnesota school districts and Education Minnesota asked a federal judge Wednesday to restore limits they say have historically restricted immigration enforcement in and around schools. Attorneys for the Fridley and Duluth districts and the teachers union said a Trump administration policy change gave immigration authorities a freer hand to conduct enforcement actions near places such as schools and school bus stops.
The change traces to the Department of Homeland Security rescinding nationwide restrictions on immigration enforcement in so-called “sensitive locations,” which plaintiffs said had effectively kept schools and similar places off limits except in rare circumstances. The districts and the union filed their lawsuit in February and asked for an immediate remedy from U.S. District Judge Laura Provinzino, seeking either a stay or a preliminary injunction.
In the courtroom arguments, attorneys for the plaintiffs centered on standing and reviewability—whether the districts and union were directly harmed by the policy shift and whether the new guidance was the type of final agency decision courts can evaluate. Justice Department attorney Jessica Lundberg argued that replacing last year’s guidance with the prior restrictions would not have a meaningful impact, saying enforcement action in and around schools was always possible even under the older rules.
The hearing took place as federal enforcement activity in Minnesota was drawing attention, including what the lawsuit filings and court context described as “Operation Metro Surge,” when DHS sent thousands of federal officers into the state. The plaintiffs said the legal dispute arose amid that broader enforcement effort and included references to violence involving federal agents in Minneapolis in January.
After the arguments, attorney Amanda Cialkowski, who represents the districts and the union, told reporters that it was unclear whether any court ruling would apply outside Minnesota or extend to other “sensitive locations” such as churches and hospitals. “We’ll just have to wait and see what the judge does,” she said.
U.S. District Judge Laura Provinzino said she would rule “as quickly as I can … but also making sure I get it right,” according to the hearing description. The Fridley and Duluth superintendents, Brenda Lewis and John Magas, attended the arguments in person.
Lewis described how the Fridley district’s operations changed as families decided whether to send children to school. She said the policy change “deeply impacted” attendance because families did not feel safe, and she said her district had to pivot to virtual learning for many students, increasing strain on resources. Lewis also said the district has lost 72 students since December and that the losses hurt funding that depends on pupil counts and meals served, adding that some students enrolled elsewhere, some left the country, and some were detained.
Lewis said that although Operation Metro Surge’s official end meant Fridley had not seen immigration officers on school property in eight weeks, the effects would last for years. She and the plaintiffs argued that attendance patterns and family decisions continued to reflect fear and uncertainty even after the most visible enforcement surge ended.
Magas said Duluth, about 150 miles north of Minneapolis, experienced the policy change’s effects as well. He pointed to absenteeism impacts in the broader Twin Cities area during the crackdown, including data the Associated Press reported obtaining showing over 9,000 St. Paul students absent in mid-January—more than a quarter of the district—and more than 8,000 Minneapolis students staying home on the last school day in January, close to 30% of students. Court filings, the report said, also cited attendance drop figures for Fridley.
The case also referenced educators’ descriptions from other litigation involving national teachers unions, including claims that rumors of raids scared away students and that immigrant parents stopped sending children to school, as well as stories of arrests at bus stops. In addition, the hearing highlighted a broader dispute in the congressional standoff over Homeland Security funding, with Democrats demanding that federal authorities refrain from enforcement operations around schools and other sensitive locations.