Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee focused on bills to protect Minnesotans who had civil rights violated

"There is no legal path for individuals who have had their constitutional rights violated," Sen. Omar Fateh says
Federal agent detain a person at Portland Ave and 19th St. on January 29, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Federal agent detain a person at Portland Ave and 19th St. on January 29, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photo credit (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

A Minnesota Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee hearing Friday focused on bills they say will help Minnesotans whose civil rights have been violated by federal agents during "Operation Metro Surge."

DFL Senators Bobby Joe Champion and Omar Fateh are introducing the Minnesota Constitutional Remedies Act.

Fateh says there are countless firsthand accounts of people being targeted solely for the color of their skin.

"And so right now there is no legal path for individuals who have had their constitutional rights violated, in which federal immigration officers can be held accountable for those violations or sued for those violations," Fateh explains.

There are five total bills in which the committee is hearing about during the session.

"We've seen instances in which people with all citizenship statuses, including United States citizens, folks that were born here, that have been questioned," Fateh adds. "That have been detained. And we've seen two of our community members that were killed."

Featured Image Photo Credit: (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)