MIAMI — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made a stop in South Florida on Saturday as a federal judge in Minnesota refused to block an expansive immigration enforcement operation, allowing federal agents to continue their work in the state.
A federal judge declined Saturday to issue a preliminary injunction that would have temporarily halted “Operation Metro Surge,” a large deployment of federal immigration officers in Minneapolis and St. Paul, rejecting arguments from Minnesota and city officials that the operation was unlawful.
The lawsuit filed by the state and its two largest cities sought to block the surge, which began in December and has drawn national controversy.
During the operation, three people have been shot by immigration officers and two of those individuals — Renee Good and Alex Pretti — have died, intensifying public scrutiny and protests.
Noem was asked about the judge’s decision and whether body-camera footage from the agents involved in the shootings will be released.
“The decisions that come down of course we implement the law and we’re grateful when a court sees that the right thing has been done,” Noem said. “We’ll continue to focus on getting dangerous criminals, rapists and drug traffickers out of this country.”
On the question of footage, she said, “there’s a lot of discussion going on with that. The FBI is leading the investigation and as that goes forward that will be at their discretion.”
Noem’s visit to South Florida was focused on technology improvements at the Transportation Security Administration to make travel smoother for flyers and on security investments tied to the FIFA World Cup games scheduled in Miami.
She discussed a billion-dollar security investment the federal government and airport authorities are coordinating to ensure visitors are screened effectively.
The Minnesota lawsuit, which remains pending, was brought by Attorney General Keith Ellison and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul, who argued that the federal operation violates constitutional protections and local sovereignty. Federal officials have defended the operation as lawful enforcement of immigration laws.
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