2026-01-23T21:23:00-0500 / CBS新闻
圣保罗，明尼苏达州 — 明尼苏达州总检察长基思·埃利森指责特朗普政府将移民执法变成”政治和报复工具”，称他所谓的联邦探员在双城地区的”激增”构成了宪法危机，并表示他”没有证据”表明联邦政府正在调查本月早些时候一名移民和海关执法局（ICE）官员枪杀雷尼·古德的致命事件。
“事实上，我有相反的证据表明，联邦政府根本没有调查雷尼·古德的死亡事件，”埃利森在周五接受CBS新闻采访时表示。
他补充道：”司法部第二号人物托德·布兰奇说他们没有在调查。”
与此同时，埃利森表示，明尼苏达州当局正在寻求”全面、公正且联合的调查”。
“在明尼苏达州，如果有人被杀害——特别是如果他们的死亡与联邦或州官员的行为有关——我们会调查他们的死亡，”埃利森说。
负责调查古德被杀案的州机构——明尼苏达州刑事调查局（BCA）在枪击事件发生一天后退出了与联邦调查局（FBI）的联合调查。该局当时在一份声明中表示，美国检察官办公室告知他们”调查现在将完全由FBI领导，BCA将不再能够获取完成彻底独立调查所需的案件材料、现场证据或调查访谈内容。”
在1月18日接受《面对国家》采访时，当被问及枪杀古德的ICE官员是否正在接受调查时，国土安全部部长克里斯蒂·诺姆表示，该部门”正在遵循ICE、国土安全部以及本届政府一贯的调查和审查流程”。
埃利森强烈反驳国土安全部关于5岁男孩利亚姆·拉莫斯被捕的说法
埃利森强烈驳斥了美国国土安全部对5岁男孩利亚姆·拉莫斯的指控。拉莫斯在自家外被ICE拘留，他戴着蓝色兔子帽、背着蜘蛛侠背包的照片在新闻和社交媒体上广泛传播。国土安全部称这个男孩是”被遗弃”的。
“我根本不相信这种说法。事实上，有非常可靠的认识利亚姆的人驳斥了这一点。我相信他们，而不是ICE，”埃利森说，称国土安全部的这一说法以及对拉莫斯后续处理是”另一例暴行”，与国土安全部所谓的”地铁行动激增”驱逐行动有关。
目击者告诉CBS新闻，ICE使用这个男孩作为诱饵引诱家人出现。
“这在道德上令人厌恶，联邦政府绝不应参与其中，”埃利森说。
起诉阻止国土安全部在明尼苏达州无证逮捕
埃利森办公室与明尼阿波利斯市和圣保罗市已提起联邦诉讼，试图阻止他们所谓的非法战术，称这次行动是针对明尼苏达州的有计划部署，而非例行执法行动。他辩称，这次行动是由特朗普总统因2020年总统选举失利而产生的愤怒所推动的。
“特朗普先生说’报复’。他说他三次赢得明尼苏达州，而这里的领导人错误地否认了他。所以他对我们很生气，”埃利森说。当被问及这次ICE行动是否是关于政治而非执法时，他回答：”这100%是关于政治和报复。”
国土安全部指控明尼苏达州领导人因未能与联邦执法部门合作而”制造混乱”。埃利森称这是”虚假陈述”，并表示执法人员激增的计划早已在进行中。他认为美国官员现在正在改变他们的理由，因为公众舆论开始反对这次行动。
诉讼的核心是指控无证逮捕、缺乏个性化评估——包括所谓的无证民事移民逮捕——以及种族貌相和他所谓的过度拘留。
国土安全部声称有几段逮捕视频被断章取义。
“是的，嗯，他们必须在法庭上为自己的立场辩护，因为这不是事实，”埃利森回应道。
如果他成功获得阻止国土安全部在明尼苏达州行动的禁令，目前尚不清楚该州是否能够执行——或者该禁令是否会在第八巡回上诉法院的上诉中幸存。埃利森承认存在不确定性，但表示不作为不是选择。
“唯一的替代方案是什么都不做，寄希望于最好的结果，”他说。”我们必须尽我们所能坚持联邦政府遵守法律。”
埃利森表示，国土安全部的行动给州和地方政府带来了巨大成本，每天在人群控制、加班费和应急响应上花费”数十万美元”。
他还描述了一系列与胡椒喷雾、催泪瓦斯和”非致命弹药”相关的受伤投诉，补充说”每天都有数十人”报告受伤，同时强调了他所谓的非法拘留和监禁的危害。
当被追问明尼苏达州是否会在民事诉讼中传召联邦探员以获取古德案的证据时，埃利森表示，民事诉讼和刑事调查之间的界限由法律和道德约束，但他没有排除这种可能性。
“我们将采取合法和道德的行动，”他说。
ICE获得无证搜查的新权力
ICE探员的权力有所扩大——最近由告密者披露的一份5月备忘录称，探员被授权使用武力进入住宅而无需司法令状。埃利森称这项政策”违宪”，并表示有报告称明尼苏达州正在使用该政策。他暗示该州将挑战此类行动。
与ICE的合作
国土安全部称明尼苏达州没有配合ICE的拘留请求——即要求将被拘留者额外拘留48小时以便移交给ICE——或其他援助请求。埃利森反驳称，移民执法是联邦责任而非州责任，尽管明尼苏达州不是庇护州，但州法律和法院命令有时会阻止州协助ICE，因为州无法在罪犯刑满前继续拘留他们。
例如，他说，如果联邦政府通缉的人因酒驾被捕，”我们的法院没有法律权力在法院下令释放后继续拘留他们。”
他表示，该州正在按照法律规定行事：”他们要求我们加入他们违法的行列，而我们不能这样做。我们相信维护法律。”
但明尼苏达州与ICE拘留请求的合作程度参差不齐。在明尼阿波利斯所在的亨内平县，治安官告诉CBS新闻，当局在被拘留者被释放回社区时不会通知ICE。然而，惩教部确实会通知ICE。
国土安全部表示，如果该州每个县都与ICE协调，联邦探员可以回家，ICE也不会继续在明尼苏达州进行突袭。
“他们说，’哦，好吧，如果你只告诉我们，为我们做工作，我们就能回家。’不，我们不会这么做，”埃利森说。他补充道：”ICE需要做其应做的工作，它有大量预算来完成这项工作。”
“明尼苏达州不是庇护州，”他告诉CBS新闻。”我们不做联邦政府的工作，但我们绝不会以任何方式阻碍他们履行职责。”
他暗示他的州正处于政治与宪法权利冲突的中心，并警告说”与政府和平共处的唯一方式”是”放弃宪法权利”。
“我们必须坚持我们的第一修正案权利，可以自由投票给我们选择的任何人而不受迫害，”他说。”我们必须坚持第四修正案的保护，免受不合理的搜查和扣押。”
T. 肖恩·赫伯特和亨特·伍德罗为本文报道做出贡献。
Minnesota AG Keith Ellison accuses White House of “politics and retribution”
2026-01-23T21:23:00-0500 / CBS News
St. Paul, Minnesota — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison accused the Trump administration of turning immigration enforcement into “politics and retribution,” describing what he called a “surge” of federal agents in the Twin Cities as a constitutional crisis, and said he has seen “no evidence” of a federal investigation into the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer earlier this month.
“In fact, I have evidence to the contrary that the federal government is investigating the death of Renee Good at all,” Ellison told CBS News in an interview Friday.
He added, “Todd Blanche, who is the No. 2 at DOJ, said they’re not investigating.”
At the same time, Minnesota authorities, Ellison said, are seeking a “full, fair and joint investigation.”
“In Minnesota, if you are killed — particularly if you’re killed…in connection with an action by an official federal or state, we will investigate your death,” Ellison said.
The state agency tasked with investigating Good’s killing, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, withdrew from a joint investigation with the FBI a day after the shooting. It said in a statement at the time the agency said it had been informed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office that “the investigation would now be led solely by the FBI, and the BCA would no longer have access to the case materials, scene evidence or investigative interviews necessary to complete a thorough and independent investigation.”
When asked in a Jan. 18 interview with “Face the Nation” whether the ICE officer who shot Good was under investigation, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that the department was “following the exact same investigative and review process that we always have under ICE, and under the Department of Homeland Security, and within the administration.”
Ellison on the apprehension of 5-year-old Liam Ramos by ICE
Ellison strongly disputed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s assertions about 5-year-old Liam Ramos, who was taken into ICE custody outside his home. Ramos’ image has been widely circulated across the news and social media in a photo that shows him wearing a blue bunny hat and Spider-Man backpack. DHS said the boy had been “abandoned.”
“I don’t buy that at all. In fact, there are very credible people who know Liam who refute that. I believe them over ICE,” Ellison said, calling DHS’ claim and subsequent treatment of Ramos “another example of atrocity” tied to the deportation effort DHS has dubbed “Operation Metro Surge.”
Witnesses told CBS News that ICE used the boy as bait to lure family members out.
“That is morally repugnant and nothing the federal government should ever be associated with,” Ellison said.
Suing to stop DHS’ warrantless arrests in Minnesota
Ellison’s office and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to stop what they allege are unlawful tactics, framing the surge as a planned deployment targeting Minnesota, not a routine enforcement action. He argued the operation has been fueled by President Trump’s anger over losing the 2020 presidential election.
“Mr. Trump said ‘retribution.’ He said he won Minnesota three times and that leaders here wrongfully denied him. So he’s mad at us,” Ellison said. Asked whether the ICE operation is about politics, rather than law enforcement, he replied, “It’s 100% about politics and retribution.”
DHS alleges leaders in Minnesota “created disorder” by failing to cooperate with federal law enforcement. Ellison called this “a false statement” and said planning for the surge of federal law enforcement had long been underway. He said he believes U.S. officials are shifting their rationale now because public opinion is turning against the operation.
At the center of the lawsuit, Ellison said, are accusations of warrantless arrests without individualized assessment — including alleged civil immigration arrests without probable cause — along with racial profiling and what he described as excessive detention.
DHS has claimed that there are a few arrest videos that were taken out of context.
“Yeah, well, they’re going to have to defend their position in court, because that’s not true,” Ellison replied.
If he’s successful in obtaining an injunction blocking the DHS operation in Minnesota, it’s not clear whether the state could enforce it — or that it would survive appeal to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ellison acknowledged that uncertainty but said inaction was not an option.
“The only alternative is to do nothing and hope for the best,” he said. “We have to do all that is in our power to insist that the federal government obey the law.”
Ellison said the DHS surge is imposing significant costs on state and local governments, with “hundreds of thousands of dollars” spent daily on crowd control, overtime and emergency response.
He also described a stream of injury complaints tied to pepper spray, tear gas and “less lethal munitions,” adding that “literally dozens every day” are making reports, while also emphasizing the harms of what he called unlawful detention and imprisonment.
And pressed on whether the state would subpoena federal agents in its civil case to access evidence in the Good case, Ellison said legal and ethical constraints govern the boundary between civil litigation and criminal investigations, but he did not rule it out.
“We’re going to do what is legal and ethical,” he said.
ICE’s new authority to carry out warrantless searches
ICE agents have seen their authority expanded — a May memo that was recently disclosed by whistleblowers said agents are authorized to use force to enter homes without a judicial warrant. Ellison called the policy “unconstitutional” and said he’s heard reports it’s being used in Minnesota. He signaled the state would challenge such actions.
Cooperation with ICE
DHS has said that Minnesota is not cooperating with ICE detainers — requests to hold detainees for an additional 48 hours so they can be turned over to ICE custody — or other requests for assistance. Ellison counters that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility — not the state’s — and while Minnesota is not a sanctuary state, state laws and court orders sometimes prevent the state from assisting ICE because it cannot hold criminals beyond their sentence.
For instance, he said that if an individual sought by the federal government is arrested for driving under the influence, “our courts don’t have the legal authority to hold them once the court has said they need — they are to be released.”
He indicated that the state is following its laws as they’re written: “They’re asking us to join them in breaking the law, and we can’t do that. We believe in upholding the law.”
But cooperation with ICE detainers is uneven in Minnesota. In Hennepin County, where Minneapolis is located, the sheriff told CBS News that authorities do not notify ICE when detainees are released back into the community. The Department of Corrections, however, does notify ICE.
DHS says that if every county in the state coordinated with ICE, federal agents could go home and ICE would not continue to conduct raids in Minnesota.
“They’re saying, ‘Oh, well, if you only would tell us, do our job for us, then we could go home.’ No, you didn’t,” Ellison said. He added, “ICE needs to do its job that it is paid to do, and it has a massive budget to do.”
“Minnesota is not a sanctuary state,” he told CBS News. “We don’t do the federal government’s job, but we don’t in any way obstruct them from doing their job.”
He suggested his state is at the center of a collision between politics and constitutional rights and warned that “the only way to get along” with the administration is to “abandon constitutional rights.”
“We must insist upon our First Amendment right to vote for whoever we please and not be persecuted,” he said. “We must insist on the Fourth Amendment protection to be free of unreasonable search and seizure.”
T. Sean Herbert and Hunter Woodall contributed to this report.