Eighth Circuit lifts district court order protecting Minneapolis protest observers

A three-judge Eighth Circuit panel granted a stay of a district court injunction that had barred ICE agents in Operation Metro Surge from arresting, stopping, or pepper-spraying peaceful protesters and observers without independent legal cause. Judge Katherine Menendez had issued the original order after ACLU lawsuits documented six plaintiffs who were threatened, pepper-sprayed, or arrested while observing immigration operations on foot or in cars. The appeals panel found the government would likely succeed on appeal, calling the district court order "vague and overly broad."