The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was persuaded to freeze a judge's ruling that bars officers from using tear gas and other steps against violent protesters while the administration pursues an appeal. Operation Metro Surge, an immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota's Twin Cities, began in early December.
An injunction ordered last week by U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez harms “officers' ability to protect themselves and the public in very dangerous circumstances,” lawyers for the government argued.
Greg Bovino of U.S. Border Patrol, who has commanded the Trump administration’s big-city immigration crackdown, said more than 10,000 people in the U.S. illegally have been arrested in Minnesota in the past year, including 3,000 “of some of the most dangerous offenders” in the last six weeks during Operation Metro Surge.
Bovino defended his “troops” and said their actions are “legal, ethical and moral.”
