The Advocates for Human Rights, a Minneapolis-based organization, sued the U.S. Department of Justice over growing restrictions on public access to immigration court proceedings at Fort Snelling Immigration Court. Since March 2025, court observers have faced locked doors to scheduled hearings, blanket docket closures, mandatory observer lanyards, and removal from the courtroom. The lawsuit alleges violations of the First Amendment and Administrative Procedure Act, with potential national implications as similar restrictions have been reported at courts in California, New York, and Arizona.