US Justice Department probes Minnesota officials amid migration raids

The investigation will look into whether Minnesota officials blocked federal immigration agents from carrying out their duties.Published On 21 Jan 2026Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey are among a group of state officials who say they are under investigation by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), a week after they sued the federal government over its controversial immigration raids.The DOJ probe will review whether Minnesota state officials conspired to obstruct justice by preventing federal immigration officers from carrying out their duties, US broadcaster CBS News reported late on Tuesday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Vinicius defies boos with star turn in Real Madrid’s 6-1 UCL rout of Monacolist 2 of 4US forces seize a seventh Venezuela-linked oil tankerlist 3 of 4Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,427list 4 of 4‘You’ll find out’: Trump speaks on Greenland’s fate and the future of NATOend of listThe investigation is the latest twist in an escalating showdown between Minnesota officials and the administration of President Donald Trump over immigration raids in the state, including the operation where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot dead Renee Good, a mother of three and a US citizen.Governor Walz confirmed the DOJ investigation in a statement on Tuesday, describing the move as “political theatre”.“This Justice Department investigation, sparked by calls for accountability in the face of violence, chaos and the killing of Renee Good, does not seek justice. It is a partisan distraction,” he said.In a post on X, Attorney General Ellison said the Justice Department had subpoenaed his office for “records and documents related to my office’s work with respect to federal immigration enforcement, not for me personally”.Ellison called the move “highly irregular”, given the timing of the order so soon after the state filed a January 12 lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).