A federal appeals court sided with the Trump administration on Monday in a ruling that blocks restrictions on tactics being used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents while confronting anti‑ICE agitators and protesters in Minnesota. The three‑judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay on a lower court injunction that had severely limited how federal officers could respond to demonstrations in Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

The appellate stay pauses the Jan. 16 order by U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez, which prevented officers from arresting, detaining, pepper‑spraying or retaliating against protesters or observers unless there was probable cause that a crime had been committed. The appeals court said the district court’s restrictions were overly broad and vague, making it difficult for federal agents to carry out lawful duties in a volatile protest environment.

In its ruling the 8th Circuit wrote that it had reviewed video evidence presented below and found a mix of conduct by protesters and observers, some of it peaceful and some not, and that federal agents were responding in a range of ways. The panel also noted that the preliminary injunction in question resembled a universal injunction prohibited by Supreme Court precedent and failed to provide clear guidance to officers.

The decision restores federal law enforcement’s ability to detain individuals and use authorized tools, including nonlethal force, to defend themselves and carry out immigration enforcement activities under “Operation Metro Surge” without the restrictive limits previously imposed by the district court. Attorney General Pam Bondi praised the ruling, saying lower court judges “tried to handcuff our federal law enforcement officers” and that the 8th Circuit agreed that such restrictions could not stand.