Duluth, Fridley Schools and Education Minnesota Sue to Bar DHS, ICE Enforcement

Duluth Public Schools (ISD 709) has taken legal action to keep federal immigration enforcement away from school grounds, joining Fridley Public Schools and Education Minnesota in a federal lawsuit filed Feb. 4, 2026. The plaintiffs ask a court to bar the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement from conducting immigration enforcement activities on or within 1,000 feet of school property.

The move places a St. Louis County district at the center of a broader debate over how enforcement policy affects public education. Duluth officials framed the filing as an effort to protect students, staff, and families from enforcement that the suit says can disrupt learning and chill access to school services. Education Minnesota, the statewide teachers union, joined the districts in arguing that enforcement near schools undermines educators’ work and students’ right to a safe learning environment.

School leaders contend the 1,000-foot buffer would create a clear legal boundary around classrooms, cafeterias, buses, and extracurricular sites where students gather. In practice, proponents say that could reduce fear among immigrant families, keep students in classrooms, and preserve access to counseling, health services, and parent-teacher engagement that school communities rely on.

The lawsuit expands a trend in school districts using litigation to shape local enforcement realities. For Duluth families, the case highlights direct consequences for attendance and school operations in St. Louis County. School administrators must weigh legal costs and potential changes to district safety protocols against the benefits of a court order that could limit federal agency actions near campuses.

Policy implications extend beyond classroom walls. If a federal court grants an injunction, it could prompt changes in how DHS and ICE plan operations in communities with similar suits. Conversely, if the court declines, districts may need to invest more in legal counsel, community outreach, and on-the-ground protections for students and staff. The outcome may influence negotiations between school districts and local law enforcement about information-sharing and campus access.

Parents, educators, and local leaders in the Northland can expect the case to unfold in federal court in the coming months. Beyond legal filings, the dispute underscores longer-term questions about trust between immigrant families and public institutions, the allocation of district resources toward legal and safety needs, and how regional education systems maintain stable learning environments amid shifting federal enforcement priorities.

For residents of St. Louis County, the lawsuit signals that school boards and unions are using courts to seek concrete limits on federal enforcement near children. The next steps will determine whether those limits take legal effect and how school districts adjust operations to keep classrooms open and welcoming.