MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – People gathered in downtown Minneapolis to protest President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency in order to divert $6 billion for a border wall. The protest took place outside Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s office.

Klobuchar has been sharply critical of the President’s position on the wall.

Minnesota has joined California and multiple other states in suing the President over his declaration of a national emergency.

The lawsuit, filed in United States District Court for the Northern District of California, asks the court to declare that the diversion of federal funds toward construction of a border wall is unconstitutional.

“President Trump, who has been unable to persuade Congress and the American people that a wall is necessary, is harming the people of Minnesota by forcing this constitutional crisis. I have joined this lawsuit because I cannot allow him to do that,” Attorney General Keith Ellison said.

Gov. Tim Walz expressed his support of the lawsuit.

“The President’s emergency declaration is a gross overstep of executive power, and I support Attorney General Ellison’s decision to join the lawsuit and protect Minnesotans,” Walz said.

Esme Murphy looks at the legal arguments.

California’s Governor Gavin Newsom was the first to announce his state would be filing a suit.

“Donald Trump, we will see you in court,” Newsom said.

The President’s critics say there is no national emergency at the border, that the President’s motives are political.

“He’s been embarrassed and his base needs to be fed,” Newsom said.

President Trump has said he is expecting lawsuits.

“Sadly, we will be sued and it will go through a process and happily we will win, I think,” President Trump said.

Hamline Professor David Schultz, an expert in Constitutional law, says the states have a strong case.

“If you read the text of the Constitution, it doesn’t suggest that the President of the United States has this authority,” Schultz said.

But he also says the lawsuits will take months, even years, to be tried.

“I would be very skeptical if we saw any construction on the wall or any use of these funds for wall construction anytime soon,” Schultz said.

Minnesota and California were joined by Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Virginia in the lawsuit.