A federal appeals court on Wednesday temporarily lifted restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents’ use of force against protesters in Minnesota, giving President Donald Trump’s administration a short-term win as it challenges a lower-court ruling.
The 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals issued an unsigned order placing an administrative stay on limits imposed by a district judge after protesters filed suit. The stay pauses those restrictions while the court considers the government’s request to block the injunction during the appeal.
The ruling lands amid heightened legal scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement tactics nationwide.
Attorney General Pam Bondi praised the decision, calling it a “victory.”
“A liberal judge in Minnesota tried to handcuff ICE agents who are enforcing the Nation’s immigration laws and responding to obstructive and violent interference from agitators,” Bondi wrote on X. “The 8th Circuit just granted an administrative stay HALTING these restrictions, which were designed to undermine federal law enforcement.
“This DOJ will protect federal law enforcement agents from criminals in the streets AND activist judges in the courtroom.”
The Associated Press reported that ICE is operating under an internal memo asserting broader authority to use force during arrests, including entering homes with administrative warrants rather than warrants signed by a judge.
In a Jan. 16 ruling now at the center of the dispute, U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez issued a preliminary injunction siding with protesters and legal observers who sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE over how they were treated during immigration enforcement operations.
Menendez found the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on claims that federal agents violated their First and Fourth Amendment rights during protests and while observing ICE activity tied to Operation Metro Surge in the Twin Cities.
The judge pointed to a pattern of confrontations in which agents allegedly used pepper spray, pointed weapons, made arrests, and conducted traffic stops against individuals who were peacefully protesting or monitoring immigration enforcement.
Menendez’s order temporarily barred agents from using force or making arrests against peaceful protesters and observers absent probable cause. The Trump administration then sought emergency relief from the 8th Circuit, and Wednesday’s order pauses the restrictions as the appeal moves forward.
