Recently, Minnesota joined a multistate (15 state) lawsuit against President Trump’s plan to fund the wall he intends to build between Mexico and the US. Trump declared a national emergency, which allowed him to bypass Congress and acquire funds that had been budgeted to other parts of the government.

The lawsuit Minnesota joins claims that it is unlawful to divert federal funds to build a wall because it violates the separation of powers between the branches of government. MN legislators believe Trump is harming the citizens of Minnesota, and more broadly the US, by taking action to build his wall. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison claims that the distortion of funds would only hurt Minnesotans in both the short and long term. He also claims that this is an overstep of executive power. The majority of legislators in Minnesota support the Attorney general including Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Gov Tim Walz.

President Trump believes he will face no problems with the impending lawsuits and intends on continuing to carry out his plan. According to CBS Minnesota, a local news source, the lawsuits could take weeks or months to fully go through its full process. Students at SPA have expressed frustration with the president’s decision to devote government funds to building a southern border wall.

“I think it’s a good idea that the president’s power should be checked because we actually need emergency declarations for things like wars,” said senior Gabi Seifert.

Trump’s declaration comes down to a constitutional breach of human rights, so Minnesota and the other states must find how to regulate his breach of powers. While the president may be frustrated, it proves that states can and will stand against the federal government when they feel like the president is overreaching the power granted to him by the executive branch.