The City of Newton signed on to an amicus curiae brief urging that President Donald Trump’s Operation Metro Surge, the initiative aimed at deporting undocumented immigrants in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, violates the Constitution.
“Operation Metro Surge is by far the most extensive, aggressive, reckless, and chaotic deployment yet,” the brief reads. “In effect, it has led to a military occupation of the Twin Cities.”
As of Thursday evening, a total of 80 cities, counties, and mayors signed on to the brief. The brief supports Minnesota’s lawsuit against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other officials running Trump’s mass deportation campaign, striving for a temporary restraining order against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). On Monday, a federal judge declined to grant that restraining order.
Minnesota and the cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis filed the lawsuit on Jan. 12 after an ICE officer shot and killed Minneapolis resident Renée Good. Newton, along with 44 other cities, counties, and mayors, signed on to the brief on Jan. 23. The day after, another Minneapolis resident, Alex Pretti, was fatally shot by ICE officers.
“By treating residents like enemy combatants and our neighborhoods like warzones, ICE is hurting the children and families who live in the cities targeted by these violent and coercive surge operations,” the brief reads.
The brief articulates that Trump and Noem have “singled out” Minnesota and the Twin Cities to “cause chaos as punishment for state and local policy choices.” On Jan. 13, Trump threatened Minnesota on Truth Social with a “DAY OF RECKONING AND RETRIBUTION.” Two days later, Trump threatened to enforce the Insurrection Act in Minnesota, which would put federal troops in place of domestic police.
“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
While the brief focused on ICE’s actions in Minnesota, it cited multiple other instances of DHS’ problematic enforcement actions.
“Operation Metro Surge is unique in its scale and scope, but the harms it is causing to Plaintiffs and their residents are not without precedent,” the brief reads.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu co-filed the brief, which lightly touched on ICE’s impact in Boston.
“ICE has already eroded the trust between residents and Boston police by making fifty-four arrests at Boston Municipal Courthouses in 2025—including arrests of people who were visiting court for civil matters,” the brief reads.
The same day Newton signed on to the brief, Newton Mayor Marc Laredo asserted his and the city’s position on ICE in his weekly newsletter.
“First and foremost, my Administration and I remain committed to the safety, dignity, and well-being of all who live, work, or visit the City of Newton,” Laredo wrote.
In May 2025, Trump’s administration announced it would place increased pressure on “sanctuary jurisdictions,” including Newton. On Jan. 14, there was a shipment of 24 SUVs to the Burlington ICE facility, which is roughly 30 minutes outside of Newton.
Laredo highlighted the city’s 2017 Welcoming City Ordinance, which limits local police and city employees from cooperating with federal immigration authorities regarding a person’s immigration status.
“We are, and always will be, a community that looks out for one another,” Laredo wrote.
Nikita Osadchiy contributed to reporting.