DOJ asks 2 Minnesota judges to step aside in immigration cases

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is asking two Minnesota judges to recuse themselves from immigration-related cases after they made comments about Operation Metro Surge. In court documents filed Tuesday, the DOJ asked to disqualify Minnesota District Court judges Patrick Schiltz and John Tunheim over their public comments in a September New York Times article about immigration enforcement. RELATED: 10 noncitizens accused of illegally registering, voting in Minnesota elections According to the motion in Tunheim’s case, it involves a criminal case in which a woman was accused of illegally voting in Minnesota as a noncitizen. The filing quoted Tunheim in the Times article, saying, “They weren’t arresting, in my view, people who were dangerous criminals on the street.” The DOJ argued that statement and Tunheim’s participation in the article could raise questions about his impartiality. RELATED: DOJ files misconduct complaint against Minnesota judges over comments about Me