LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined a multistate coalition of attorneys general responding to a recent letter from the U.S. Department of Justice addressing federal actions in Minnesota.

In a Jan. 29 letter sent to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, attorneys general from 22 jurisdictions said the department’s Jan. 24 correspondence to Minnesota officials raised concerns about federal overreach, state sovereignty, and the handling of sensitive resident data.

The response followed a letter from Bondi to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, which accused the state of enabling fraud and outlined a series of requested actions tied to the potential withdrawal of federal agents from Minnesota. According to the coalition, those requests included access to state Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program records, changes to local immigration-related policies, and access to Minnesota voter data.

The attorneys general argued that the federal requests could conflict with existing court orders and ongoing litigation involving data-sharing and federal conditions placed on state programs. The letter cites multiple cases in which courts have limited or blocked federal efforts to compel states to provide program data or alter state and local policies through funding conditions.

Nessel said the coalition’s response was intended to push back on what it described as demands lacking a lawful basis. She said the federal government should comply with existing court rulings and respect limits on its authority when interacting with state governments.

The letter states that while the federal government has authority to enforce immigration law, that authority does not extend to compelling states to repeal laws or policies enacted by state governments or to collect personal data without legal justification broadly. The coalition also disputed claims made in the DOJ letter regarding the effects of Minnesota’s policies and allegations of voter fraud, noting that similar federal efforts have been rejected by courts.

In addition to Michigan, attorneys general from Illinois and Wisconsin joined the response, along with officials from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai‘i, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.

The Department of Justice has not publicly responded to the coalition’s letter.