Minnesota judges continue to reject arrest warrants in ICE protests
Source: MS NOW
Jan. 23, 2026, 6:00 AM EST
Federal judges in Minnesota have several times in recent weeks rejected arrest warrants for people protesting a surge of immigration officers in that state, finding that federal agents do not have sufficient evidence that protesters assaulted officers or committed other crimes, according to two people briefed on the discussions.
In these sealed court proceedings, magistrate judges in the federal court in Minnesota have been deluged with requests from federal prosecutors to arrest and criminally charge protesters. The rise in requests comes amid increasing clashes between protesters and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after a surge of federal officers arriving in the state and in the wake of an ICE officer fatally shooting protester Renee Good on Jan. 7. But some prosecutors have fared poorly in establishing evidence of crime, said the people, who asked to speak confidentially about sensitive court proceedings.
It is exceedingly rare for judges to turn down investigators’ requests for search and arrest warrants or criminal complaints, since the standard of evidence required is so low; a federal agent or officer providing an account of events need only show a fair probability that the suspect engaged in the crime for an arrest warrant.
This spate of rejections in Minnesota would normally cause embarrassment for the U.S attorney’s office that submits the requests. But the Minnesota office has been in turmoil since the Justice Department’s decision not to investigate the officer who killed Good, which led to six senior prosecutors resigning, and more departures are expected.
Read more: https://www.ms.now/news/minnesota-judges-continue-to-reject-arrest-warrants-in-ice-protests
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