Federal agents killed two Minnesota residents this year during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Now the state is suing to get access to evidence it says has been blocked.
Alex Pretti, a nurse, and Renee Good were shot amid a massive federal enforcement surge in Minneapolis. Minnesota officials say federal authorities have refused to share crucial investigation materials. The lawsuit also targets a third, non-fatal shooting, where charges were dropped after ICE admitted its agents misrepresented the incident.
“These shootings are just three examples of the violent actions committed by federal agents in Minnesota during the Surge,” the complaint says. “Federal agents also carried out illegal stops, sweeps, arrests, and dangerous raids in sensitive public spaces. The Surge created widespread fear among Minnesota residents, both citizens and noncitizens.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi and outgoing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem are among those named as defendants. DHS and the Justice Department have not responded to requests for comment.
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Minnesota officials, including Attorney General Keith Ellison, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, and Superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Drew Evans, stressed the importance of federal and state cooperation. They wrote, “Consistent with these long-standing principles of federalism, cooperation and evidence-sharing between federal law enforcement and state and local authorities has long been a routine and essential feature of criminal investigations in Minnesota, as in other states, where federal and state interests overlap.”
Minnesota has already been in court with the Trump administration over these shootings before. The state tried to force the federal government to hand over evidence from the Pretti crime scene and stop agents from destroying it.
A federal judge initially agreed and issued a temporary order, but he later lifted it. In that hearing, he criticized comments from officials like Stephen Miller as “troubling” and politically driven, rather than focused on finding the truth
State investigators say Pretti and Good’s deaths overshadowed the non-fatal shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis. Both men charged in that case were released after local authorities discovered conflicting evidence. ICE initially suggested the agents could face charges.
Acting director Todd Lyons said, “Both officers have been immediately placed on administrative leave pending the completion of a thorough internal investigation. … The U.S. Attorney’s Office is actively investigating these false statements.”
Pretti’s death marked the start of the end for Operation Metro Surge. Federal leaders, including Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino and Noem, were sidelined, and federal agents were pulled from Minneapolis in February.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
