A group of Minnesota school districts and educators sued the Trump administration on Wednesday, alleging that a surge in immigration enforcement at or near school property has created a “pervasive climate of fear” that is driving down attendance and has rescinded long-standing policy that protected schools.
The school districts along with a teachers union have asked a federal judge to block the government from carrying out immigration enforcement operations at or near school property without a judicial warrant.
US Border Patrol agents detain a person near Roosevelt High School during dismissal time in Minneapolis, Minnesota, January 7, 2026.
Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images
“In recent weeks, the administration has launched ‘Operation Metro Surge’ to accelerate its immigration enforcement efforts in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, which has resulted in federal agents becoming an increasingly common presence at or near schools and school bus stops,” the lawyers representing the school districts and educators wrote.
As a result of Operation Metro Surge, school districts and teachers across Minnesota have reported “significant reductions in attendance,” the complaint alleges.
According to the lawsuit, the federal government has for more than 30 years restricted immigration enforcement near schools and other “sensitive locations.”
“The federal government has long recognized that it could effectively enforce immigration laws without, in its words, ‘denying or limiting… children access to their schools,'” the lawsuit claims.
-ABC News’ Laura Romero
