The U.S. Dept. of Justice (DOJ) is suing the state of Minnesota over its sanctuary state policies. From the DOJ press release.
Today, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Minnesota, the City of Minneapolis, the City of St. Paul, Hennepin County, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna S. Witt over the State’s, Cities’, and County’s sanctuary city policies that interfere with the federal government’s enforcement of its immigration laws.
The lawsuit appeared on the local docket of the federal court this morning. As the DOJ explains,
Not only are the sanctuary city policies illegal under federal law, but, as alleged in the complaint, Minnesota’s, Minneapolis’, St. Paul’s, and Hennepin County’s refusal to cooperate with federal immigration authorities results in the release of dangerous criminals from police custody who would otherwise be subject to removal, including illegal aliens convicted of aggravated assault, burglary, and drug and human trafficking, onto the streets.
Indeed, as I document in my Minnesota Man series, the lack of cooperation between local and federal authorities creates public safety problems for the general population.
As it happens, two “Minnesota men” will be appearing in federal district court this morning to plead guilty to federal illegal immigration felonies.
The first, Pedro Cortez-Soriano, age 56, is scheduled to appear in federal court in downtown Minneapolis.
Cortez also has a prior felony conviction for criminal vehicular homicide and an unrelated felony drunk driving conviction.
He was previously deported twice before. In 2025 Cortez was picked up, yet again, for drunk driving.
The second, Carlos Adrian Verdugo-Castro, was due to appear in federal court in downtown St. Paul. Verdugo is an Ecuadoran national, and had been previously deported, but snuck back into America via the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Minnesota Star Tribune filed a report on the new DOJ lawsuit.
Attorney General Keith Ellison denied that Minnesota’s laws inhibit the federal government from prosecuting people.
