Minnesota Sues Trump Administration For Access To Evidence In Alex Pretti, Renee Good Killings

The state of Minnesota sued the Trump administration on Tuesday for access to investigation materials regarding the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, two Minnesota residents who were shot by federal agents during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown earlier this year.

Federal and state authorities have sparred over information in the aftermath of the shootings, which took place amidst a massive immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis. Local and state investigators alleged in the lawsuit that they have been stonewalled by federal officials.

The state is also seeking information on a third, non-fatal shooting of a man who was initially charged with assaulting federal agents but whose charges were later dropped after ICE indicated agents appeared to have lied about the incident.

“These shootings are just three examples of the violent actions committed by federal agents in Minnesota during the Surge,” the federal complaint, filed in district court in Washington, read. “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 Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem are among the defendants listed in the lawsuit. DHS and DOJ did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

“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,” the plaintiffs, including Attorney General Keith Ellison on behalf of the state, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and Superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Drew Evans, wrote.

State officials have clamored for cooperation from federal authorities since DHS took over the probe into Good’s death. Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, they argue, is the proper venue for an investigation that Minnesotans will actually trust.

Their calls intensified after the shooting of Pretti, a nurse whose graphic killing at the hands of two federal agents sparked widespread outrage across the country.

Pretti’s shooting marked the beginning of the end for Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota. Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino and Noem were sidelined by the administration, which pulled federal agents out of the state in February.

But with the federal spotlight now no longer trained on Minnesota’s largest city, state officials are still seeking evidence to help them determine “whether federal officers committed crimes within its borders.”

“That responsibility rests primarily with Minnesota’s law enforcement and prosecutorial authorities — in this case, Plaintiffs — who must gather the evidence, evaluate the facts, and decide whether Minnesota criminal law was violated,” they wrote.

Kyle Cheney contributed to this report.