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By Jenna Sundel and Gabe Whisnant
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The state of Minnesota sued the Trump administration on Tuesday, seeking access to federal investigation materials related to the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, two Minnesota residents shot by federal agents during an immigration enforcement surge earlier this year.
State officials say federal authorities have refused to share key information about the shootings, which occurred amid a sweeping crackdown in Minneapolis. The lawsuit also seeks records related to a third, non‑fatal shooting involving federal agents.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem are named as defendants.
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Why It Matters
The Trump administration sent thousands of federal officers to the Minneapolis and St. Paul area to perform immigration enforcement operations. Immigration enforcement has been a key focus of the administration. The Department of Homeland Security considered its largest immigration enforcement operation ever a success, but the agency has faced increased scrutiny and questions over officers’ conduct and the deaths of Pretti and Good.
What To Know
The lawsuit alleges that federal agents "reneged" on their pledges to cooperate with Minnesota state investigators.
"Instead of sharing information, federal authorities took exclusive possession of evidence that had been collected, and they denied Minnesota investigators access to key information," attorneys for the plaintiffs wrote.
The attorneys said the federal government is not allowed 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."
The Justice Department said in January that it was launching a federal civil rights investigation into Pretti’s killing, but has said a similar federal investigation was not warranted in the killing of Good.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has said that the department does not investigate every law enforcement shooting and that there have to be circumstances and facts that “warrant an investigation.”
The lawsuit also demands access to evidence in the case of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who was shot in his right thigh by a federal agent in January. Federal officials initially accused Sosa-Celis and another man of beating an ICE officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel, but later dropped charges against the two men. A criminal investigation has been opened into whether two immigration officers lied under oath about the shooting.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said on Tuesday that federal officials have "adopted a policy of categorically withholding evidence,” adding that the practice is unprecedented and alarming.
What People Are Saying
Attorneys for the plaintiffs, in a lawsuit filed Tuesday: "Plaintiffs seek declaratory and injunctive relief to set aside Defendants’ unlawful policy of noncooperation and their resulting refusal to comply with the investigative demands of Minnesota authorities. At stake is not only Plaintiffs’ access to evidence central to these shootings but also a fundamental principle of our constitutional system: that the States retain the sovereign authority—and responsibility—to investigate crimes committed within their borders."
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, in comments to reporters: "We are prepared to fight for transparency and accountability that the federal government is desperate to avoid."
What Happens Next
The plaintiffs are seeking various forms of relief from the court, including a declaration stating that the policy or practice of refusing to share investigative materials with Minnesota authorities is not in accordance with law and an order requiring the defendants to provide the plaintiffs access to evidence and investigative materials in the three shootings.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
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