Attorney General Jones joins multi-state coalition condemning DOJ’s bid for voter data from Minnesota

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Attorney General Jay Jones joined a coalition of 21 other attorneys general on Thursday in condemning the Department of Justice's (DOJ) bid for voter data from Minnesota in exchange for getting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) out of the state.

On Thursday, Jan. 29, Jones announced that he joined a coalition of 21 other attorneys general denouncing what they called the DOJ's "latest attempt to coerce the State of Minnesota."

In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, the coalition condemned the Trump administration’s efforts to pressure Minnesota leaders into turning over "sensitive resident data" and "dismantling longstanding public safety policies."

This follows the large presence of ICE officers in Minneapolis, and multiple shootings at the hands of federal officers there — one that killed Renee Macklin Good and another that killed Alex Pretti.

The attorneys general state in the letter that this vie for data likely conflicts with ongoing litigation and court-ordered protections.

“Virginia honors our highly skilled law enforcement agencies that protect our communities and uphold the Constitution,” Jones said. “We are deeply concerned about the tactics and strategies employed by the federal government in other states that have cost lives and put others at risk in the name of immigration enforcement. Local law enforcement officials work for decades to build trust and uplift the communities they serve. The continued use of these tactics threatens to undo years of diligent community policing and trust building within all our communities, not just Minnesota. This continued chaotic, aggressive federal overreach requires a united response from all of us charged with keeping our communities safe and our rights protected.”

Jones and the coalition reportedly sent the letter in response to Bondi’s Jan. 24 letter to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, which accused the state of enabling widespread fraud and demanded a series of actions in exchange for the withdrawal of federal agents from Minnesota.

According to Jones, the demands in Bondi's letter included requests that Minnesota turn over "sensitive Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) data, dismantle critical local public safety policies, and grant the federal government access to Minnesota voter information."

The attorneys general warned that Bondi’s letter threatens the constitutional balance of power between the states and the federal government. In addition, they said in the letter that the demands intrude on state sovereignty and are intended to "coerce the state of Minnesota."

"With so many of DOJ’s actions already blocked by courts across the country, the attorneys general argue that the administration is attempting to force an outcome that it could not achieve through the courts," Jones said in a press release.

The coalition has urged the administration to end what they call its "dangerous and unlawful campaign" against Minnesota immediately and stand down its demands. 

The multi-state coalition was led by N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James, and includes the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C.