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Michael J. Lansing, Professor of History, Augsburg University

ICE and Border Patrol in Minnesota − accused of violating 1st, 2nd, 4th and 10th amendment rights − are testing whether the Constitution can survive

ICE officers and federal agents clash with protesters in south Minneapolis after Alex Pretti was fatally shot by federal agents on Jan. 24, 2026. Richard Tsong-Taatarii/The Minnesota Star Tribune

Forcibly entering homes without a judicial warrant. Arresting journalists who reported on protests. Defying dozens of federal orders. Killing U.S. citizens for noncompliance. Asking constitutionally protected observers this chilling question: “Have you not learned?”

This is daily life in Minnesota. Operation Metro Surge, ostensibly an immigration enforcement initiative, has become something more consequential: a constitutional stress test. Can constitutional protections withstand the actions of a federal government seemingly intent on aggressively violating the rule of law?

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