During Operation Metro Surge, the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, an office building not equipped to detain people, was used to hold more than 3,500 people for days. The Advocates for Human Rights and a detained man sued on January 27, 2026, alleging detainees were systematically denied access to lawyers, that ICE did not answer the building's phone or email, and that people were moved out of state or even removed before they could reach counsel. On February 12, 2026, a federal court ordered DHS and ICE to restore meaningful attorney access, and on March 26 it barred them from transferring detained people out of Minnesota. The judge wrote that "due process is not a game of keep-away." Detainees described sleeping on floors, going without adequate food and medical care, and being pressured to accept "voluntary" departure; faith leaders won a separate order on March 20 allowing pastoral visits.