The lawsuit argues the deployment amounts to an unconstitutional "federal invasion". Minnesota's Attorney General Keith Ellison said immigration operations had upended life for millions and caused "chaos and violence".  It comes after Renee Good, 37, was shot dead by an immigration agent in Minneapolis last week, triggering large protests in the city. The lawsuit asks a federal court to declare the deployment illegal. The Trump administration has described the legal action as "baseless". It has also pledged to significantly increase its deployment in the area.

The administration has said the agents are targeting undocumented migrants, and that further agents are needed to ensure their safety during operations. In a news conference announcing the legal challenge on Monday, Ellison said the deployment violated the state's "sovereign authority to protect the health and wellbeing of every single person who lives within our borders". Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey alleged that agents were illegally targeting people who they assumed to be immigrants based on racial profiling. He said their actions had led to an increase in calls to 911, and forced city police to work overtime to investigate incidents involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

"The unlawful deployment of thousands of armed, masked, and poorly trained federal agents is hurting Minnesota," Ellison said. He accused the Trump administration of "persecuting the state of Minnesota because of our political views". Democrats currently hold the governorship and control the state legislature. "Keith Ellison made it abundantly clear today he is prioritising politics over public safety," Tricia McLaughlin from the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.

"This is a baseless lawsuit, and we look forward to proving that in court." During the news conference, prosecutors said they would attempt to get a court to issue a temporary restraining order to block the deployment as early as Tuesday. It comes as the US Department of Homeland Security says it plans to send more agents into the state as part of its Operation Metro Surge. (BBC)