On January 12, 2026, Minnesota, joined by Minneapolis and Saint Paul, filed a federal lawsuit to stop “Operation Metro Surge,” which targeted federal fraud suspects in mail and wire fraud, identity theft, and conspiracy to defraud the U.S., claiming it violated the First and Tenth Amendments. The claim also states the operation intruded on state authority and diverted local resources. The suit followed the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer. The administration may invoke authorities exercised under the Insurrection Act (1792) when federal law enforcement is obstructed. The Insurrection Act allows the President to deploy federal forces to enforce federal law when states cannot or will not act.
The complaint asserts that the surge involved excessive force, warrantless stops, and unlawful arrests burdening state law enforcement. It contends the operation infringes the First and Tenth Amendments and breaches the equal sovereignty principle, which holds all states must be treated equally under federal law and no state can be singled out for disproportionate federal actions.
The complaint seeks a temporary restraining order to halt actions exceeding congressional authority. Courts are likely to consider the officers’ actions lawful unless Minnesota demonstrates violations of federal law or constitutional rights.
Federalists argued a strong national government was needed to enforce laws uniformly, while Anti-Federalists warned that excessive central power would erode state sovereignty. The Supremacy Clause (March 4, 1789) states: “the Constitution, and the Laws of the United States…shall be the supreme Law of the Land…any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.” Under this clause, federal laws and lawful actions by federal officers take precedence over conflicting state laws. Minnesota’s lawsuit challenges whether the operation exceeded lawful authority or violated residents’ rights.
During the Whiskey Rebellion, Western Pennsylvania farmers resisted a federal excise tax on distilled spirits. Tax collectors were threatened, attacked, and tarred and feathered; some fled. In 1794, President George Washington commissioned a militia of 13,000 men to enforce federal law. The episode informed Congress’s passage of the Insurrection Act, clarifying presidential authority to use federal forces when state resistance obstructs enforcement. The show of force ended the rebellion; key leaders were arrested, though most were later pardoned.
Whether enforcing national laws to protect those who collect our money or ensure it is not stolen, federal agents act as stewards of public funds. Upholding the rule of law and order is essential to a prosperous society. As Alexander Hamilton wrote in the Federalist Papers: “The due administration of the laws is the vital principle of good government.”