Boston Mayor Michelle Wu joined dozens of mayors and local governments nationwide in a legal effort challenging the Trump administration’s expanded immigration enforcement presence in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, arguing the operation violates the federal constitution and threatens public safety.

Wu helped lead a coalition of 44 mayors, cities, and counties that filed an amicus brief last week in federal district court in Minneapolis. The filing supports a lawsuit brought by the state of Minnesota, alongside the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, seeking a temporary restraining order to halt what plaintiffs describe as a large-scale federal occupation of the area.

“The Trump Administration’s ongoing occupations of peaceful American cities are unconstitutional and illegal,” Wu said in a press release. “These politically-motivated invasions of cities, whether by ICE agents or the National Guard, endanger our residents and violate federal law. We are urging the courts to curb the dangerous impulses of a reckless federal administration.”

The legal dispute centers on “Operation Metro Surge,” a federal enforcement initiative that has sent more than 2,000 armed federal agents into Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Many of the officers operate under the authority of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and have conducted high-visibility enforcement actions in residential neighborhoods.

Local officials argue the surge has destabilized communities, strained local resources, and escalated tensions rather than improving public safety. The lawsuit and supporting brief cite injuries to residents, including children, and link the enforcement climate to the shooting deaths of civilians Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti.

Wu said the Trump administration’s actions amount to an unconstitutional attempt to override local decision-making. She described the federal deployments as politically motivated efforts that put residents at risk while ignoring legal limits on federal power.

The coalition’s legal argument focuses on the Tenth Amendment, which says: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

Wu and other plaintiffs in the lawsuit argue that the Tenth Amendment restricts the federal government from compelling states and municipalities to carry out federal policy. The brief argues the administration has used immigration enforcement as leverage against cities that refuse to direct local police to participate in mass deportation efforts.

Courts across the country have previously blocked similar attempts by the federal government to penalize jurisdictions over local immigration policies, the brief states. The coalition contends that Operation Metro Surge represents an escalation of those tactics through direct federal intervention on city streets.

The legal effort was coordinated by the Public Rights Project, which served as counsel for the amici. The organization said the surge diverts city resources, spreads fear among residents, and interferes with local governance.

Supporters of the operation say the federal government has clear authority to enforce immigration law and does not need permission from local officials to do so. They argue that ICE is carrying out its legal duty and that cities cannot block federal enforcement through local policy. Backers of Operation Metro Surge say the presence of federal agents helps remove criminals from communities and improves public safety rather than undermining it.

While Wu played a central role in organizing the filing, the coalition spans the country and includes major metropolitan governments. Participating cities include Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Sacramento, Portland (Oregon), and San Diego.

Massachusetts municipalities that joined the brief include Cambridge, Chelsea, Lynn, Melrose, Newton, Northampton, and Somerville.

The federal court has not as of Monday morning ruled on the request for a temporary restraining order. If granted, the order would pause Operation Metro Surge while the underlying constitutional challenge moves forward.

Wu's office could not be reached for comment this past weekend. Neither could the offices for the mayors of Cambridge, Chelsea, Lynn, Melrose, Newton, Northampton, and Somerville.