With three-thousand federal agents deployed into the Twin Cities under Operation Metro Surge, many fear the line has blurred between legitimate enforcement of immigration laws and an unlawful military-style occupation. Hundreds of immigrants have been swept up from neighborhoods, driving to work or school, in their workplaces, and even into their homes by masked and heavily armed agents of Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE). A due process crisis has unfolded, with Minnesota federal judges granting release petitions in 90 percent of cases. The fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by ICE officers have further placed our community at the center of a profound legal reckoning. The criminal and civil liability implications of federal use of force against protestors raise pressing questions of government accountability for official wrongdoing.
The Murphy Institute is pleased to present this high-stakes discussion featuring our leading legal scholars to uncover the real-world effects and to dissect the legal mechanics of this unprecedented federal law enforcement surge into an urban environment. We will begin with an invocation to draw us together and hold up those impacted by these events.
Program Schedule
Invocation
Msgr. Martin Schlag
Immigration
Prof. Virgil Wiebe
Federal and State Issues Arising From the Surge
Prof. Tom Berg
Searches without Warrants
Prof. Julie Jonas
Federal Prosecution, Criminal Investigation, and Legal Implications of Use of Force
Profs. Mark Osler & Rachel Moran
Civil Remedies for Wrongful Official Conduct
Prof. Greg Sisk
Use of Language
Prof. Julie Oseid
Closing Remarks
Fr. Daniel Griffith
CLE
2.0 CLE credit is approved for this program.
In-person: 543200
Live Webcast: 543586
1.0 CLE credit is approved for the following:
On-Demand: 544502
- The Surge of ICE in the Twin Cities: Law Professors on the Issues
- Martin Schlag - University of St. Thomas, Catholic StudiesVirgil Wiebe - University of St. Thomas, School of LawThomas C. Berg - University of St. Thomas, School of LawJulie Jonas - University of St. Thomas, School of LawMark Osler - University of St. Thomas, School of LawRachel Moran - University of St. Thomas, School of LawGregory Sisk - University of St. Thomas, School of LawJulie Oseid - University of St. Thomas, School of LawDaniel Griffith - University of St. Thomas, School of Law
- 3-5pm CT | School of Law Atrium, 02/12/2026
- College of Arts and Sciences; Terrence J. Murphy Institute for Catholic Thought, Law, and Business; School of Law; Murphy Institute Video Archive; Opus College of Business; Catholic Studies; Ethics & Business Law
- Presentation
- 991015414071303691