WOOT!! COURT ORDERS MINNEAPOLIS ICE TO ALLOW CLERGY TO ACCESS FACILITY
Even though the country’s attention has been largely turned away from Minneapolis, the Courts are still staunchly defending the rule of law and, most importantly here, how it applies to both detainees in detention facilities and access to them.
You may remember that last month the Court ordered that lawyers must have access to detainees without having to jump through hoops, pre-schedule it days in advance, and the like. And earlier this month the Court ordered that Congressional representatives must also be allowed the same access.
[Those articles are here:
https://annepmitchell.substack.com/p/yes-and-no-court-orders-lawyers-to
https://annepmitchell.substack.com/p/bam-court-smacks-down-noem-in-her ]
Well on Friday the Federal District Court in Minnesota completed the trifecta when it ruled that ICE could *not* prohibit or impede the clergy from accessing detainees in the Whipple ICE detention facility in Minneapolis.
I’m including the Complaint for Notes from the Front members, as it includes a great deal of context. This paragraph particularly stood out to me:
“For context, the number of federal agents in Minnesota equaled nearly one agent for every 1,000 of the Twin Cities’ 3.2 million residents. The number of federal agents was more than five times the number of officers in the Minneapolis Police Department and roughly equivalent to the combined total of the ten largest law enforcement agencies in the area. That number also dwarfed the 150 federal agents typically present in the Metro area prior to Operation Metro Surge.”
Wow!
It then describes various incidents between ICE and members of the clergy, including “On January 7, 2026, at least two pastors were shoved, shot at with pepper rounds, and exposed to pepper spray while protesting the actions of federal immigration agents in Minneapolis. One pastor, Rev. Ashley Horan, explained that her Unitarian Universalist faith compels her to protest because it affirms the inherent worth and dignity of every human being and the interdependence of all people,” and others.
One of the clergy members, in a statement to the Court (included for Notes members) explained that they were turned away from the facility on January 13th, and that “After our January 13 attempt, at least one of my clergy colleagues was able to speak to someone at the phone number provided. He was informed that clergy members would not be permitted to visit detainees at the Whipple Federal Building to provide pastoral care. No explanation for this denial was given.”
Another member of the clergy said in their statement (also included for Notes members) that “On Ash Wednesday, February 18, 2026, another clergy colleague and I again attempted to gain access to provide pastoral care, including the imposition of ashes, to detained immigrants. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent in the Christian tradition and is one of the most significant days of the liturgical year. The imposition of ashes is a central religious rite symbolizing repentance, human mortality, and spiritual reflection. Offering ashes to those who are suffering or in custody is a longstanding and essential pastoral practice. After passing through security, we were directed to Room 1601, which I understand to be the ICE office. A woman who identified herself as an employee of the Department of Homeland Security informed us that we would not be permitted to visit detainees. We explained that we were clergy seeking to provide religious ministry and, specifically, to offer the Ash Wednesday rite. The employee informed us that her supervisor had told other clergy members who had attempted to visit earlier that day that detainees were not permitted to receive visitors other than attorneys.”
And it’s not like they could come back on *another* Ash Wednesday, that was a specific holiday requiring specific actions *on that day*.
Well, Federal Judge Jerry Blackwell was having none of it, and in his order on Friday (also included for Notes from the Front members) the very first paragraph says:
“Defendants must remove and may not impose an access protocol for the Whipple facility that bars clergy visits in all circumstances, without regard to whether visits could safely occur, for the duration of this litigation.”
WOW!
Now to be clear, this does *not* mean that Judge Blackwell doesn’t care about safety! It means that he was not giving ICE *any* wiggle room to claim there were safety issues.
Notes from the Front members: The Complaint, the two statements, and the Order are in your inbox now.
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https://annepmitchell.substack.com/p/woot-court-orders-minneapolis-ice
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