White House, Justice Department and Homeland Security spokespeople did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but the Trump administration may seek to immediately appeal the decision. It has recently surged more than 2,000 Homeland Security officials in Minnesota to conduct deportation operations and pursue claims of fraud by members of Minneapolis’ prominent Somali community.

“There is no sign that this operation is winding down—indeed, it appears to still be ramping up,” Menendez wrote.

Amid the ramp-up, the Justice Department has also begun scrutinizing two of Trump’s most vocal critics in Minnesota — Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey — for potentially obstructing immigration agents.

Federal prosecutors sent grand jury subpoenas to Walz and Frey on Friday seeking information about alleged obstruction, according to a person briefed on the inquiry who was granted anonymity due to the ongoing nature of the investigation. The probe is exploring potential violations of a federal law, 18 U.S.C. 372, that outlaws conspiracies to impede or injure federal officers, the person said.

A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment on the investigation.

The move against two prominent Democrats, including one who ran on the Democratic ticket against Trump in 2024, is the latest escalation in the Trump Justice Department’s bid to punish the president’s political adversaries.

“Two days ago it was Elissa Slotkin. Last week it was Jerome Powell. Before that, Mark Kelly. Weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic,” Walz said Friday night on X. “The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.