The state of Minnesota has sued the Trump administration, accusing its top law enforcement agencies of withholding evidence from the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti and the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis to protect agents in Operation Metro Surge from potential criminal charges.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, March 24, in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, argues that attempts by state officials to gather evidence into the shootings, including the names of the federal agents involved, have been shut down at the highest levels of the Trump administration.
“I have to stress, friends, how absolutely extraordinary it is, how rare and unprecedented it is, how completely unnecessary it is, if justice is our goal, for us to have to file this lawsuit,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said at a news conference to announce the lawsuit. “The federal government has refused to cooperate with state law enforcement. … We cannot let them do it.”
The state of Minnesota, through Ellison, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans are the plaintiffs in the suit; the defendants are the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Attorney General Pam Bondi and former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
The Department of Homeland Security, responding to the lawsuit, said all three shootings remain under investigation, including the killing of Good, which Trump administration officials had previously said was not under investigation.
A department spokesperson said in a statement the FBI is leading the investigation into Pretti’s killing, with Homeland Security support, and Customs and Border Protection is conducting an internal investigation. It said the U.S. Attorney’s Office is investigating the agents who shot Sosa-Celis for false statements, but did not say who is investigating the agent for shooting Sosa-Celis.
“Every use of force incident and any discharge of an ICE firearm must be properly reported and reviewed by the agency in accordance with agency policy, procedure and guidelines,” the spokesperson said, adding, “ICE remains fully committed to transparency, accountability, and the fair enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws.”
You can read the full article at The Minnesota Star Tribune.