Minnesota sues Trump administration for denying evidence in ICE shootings probe

On January 7, Renée Good, a 37-year-old mother, was fatally shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Weeks later, Customs and Border Protection officers pepper-sprayed and then shot dead Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, amid widespread protests against Operation Metro Surge, launched by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to apprehend and deport undocumented immigrants. Last December, the operation targeted the twin cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, despite large-scale protests against supposed high-handedness and lack of proper protocol by ICE and CBP officers. 

The killings of the two U.S. citizens, coupled with reports of a custodial death, led to even larger protests against the DHS and stalled a funding bill in Congress. As per U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz, ICE violated at least 96 court orders in 74 cases in January. And two months after the fatal shootings, state investigations continue to face a roadblock as the Trump administration is reportedly withholding crucial evidence. Minnesota officials have, however, sued the Trump administration seeking access to evidence they say they need to independently investigate the three shootings. "The lawsuit filed today (Tuesday) challenging the categorical withholding of all evidence from our office and the State of Minnesota for a criminal investigation is unprecedented in American history," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said, and claimed that the evidence is being intentionally hidden by the federal government. 

The lawsuit filed by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office (HCAO), the State of Minnesota, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension names the Department of Justice and Attorney General Pam Bondi, and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office informed in a press release. According to the filing, the DOJ initially promised full cooperation with the Minnesota BCA but abruptly reversed course, reportedly following a directive from senior officials in Washington. The lawsuit said the federal government is not permitted to "withhold investigative evidence for the purpose of shielding law enforcement officers from scrutiny where a State is investigating serious potential violations of its criminal laws, targeting its citizens, within its borders."

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison called the need to file this lawsuit "extraordinary." "It should go without saying that we share jurisdiction with the federal government in this case: these incidents happened in Minnesota and fall under state law, regardless of the fact that federal agents are involved. The feds' choice not to share evidence with us is arbitrary and capricious and has no rational basis," Ellison said.