Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Court rebukes Trump administration for denying immigration detainees access to lawyers
A federal judge ruled Thursday that the Trump administration has been violating the rights of people detained by ICE in Minnesota, saying the agency had stashed them in an ill-equipped, overcrowded facility without access to attorneys.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel said it appeared the Trump administration had surged law enforcement into the Twin Cities without accounting for “the constitutional rights of its civil detainees” held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“The government suggests—with minimal explanation and even less evidence—that doing so would result in ‘chaos,’” wrote Brasel, an appointee of President Donald Trump. “The Constitution does not permit the government to arrest thousands of individuals and then disregard their constitutional rights because it would be too challenging to honor those rights.”
The judge ordered the administration to dramatically revamp conditions in the Bishop Henry Whipple federal building, and provide routine and unmonitored phone access to detainees, including the chance to alert attorneys and family members at least one hour before being transferred out of state.
The ruling came just hours after the White House announced an end to its recent immigration crackdown, which saw as many as 3,000 federal agents flood the Minneapolis region to conduct mass deportation operations.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel said it appeared the Trump administration had surged law enforcement into the Twin Cities without accounting for “the constitutional rights of its civil detainees” held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“The government suggests—with minimal explanation and even less evidence—that doing so would result in ‘chaos,’” wrote Brasel, an appointee of President Donald Trump. “The Constitution does not permit the government to arrest thousands of individuals and then disregard their constitutional rights because it would be too challenging to honor those rights.”
The judge ordered the administration to dramatically revamp conditions in the Bishop Henry Whipple federal building, and provide routine and unmonitored phone access to detainees, including the chance to alert attorneys and family members at least one hour before being transferred out of state.
The ruling came just hours after the White House announced an end to its recent immigration crackdown, which saw as many as 3,000 federal agents flood the Minneapolis region to conduct mass deportation operations.
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/12/court-trump-administration-denying-immigration-lawyers-00779762
