The Trump administration has turned over evidence long sought by Minnesota investigators in their ongoing probe into the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti during protests against an immigration enforcement crackdown earlier this year, state prosecutors announced.
Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot and killed in her vehicle while leaving an anti-immigration enforcement protest in Minneapolis on Jan. 7. Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was shot and killed by federal officers weeks later during a Jan. 24 protest. The shootings sparked outrage across the country and calls to rein in immigration enforcement.
The Minneapolis immigration crackdown, dubbed "Operation Metro Surge," was billed as the largest immigration enforcement operation ever. It ended in February after thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents withdrew from the state. At least nine people have been killed since the Trump administration's immigration enforcement campaign began last year. No one has been charged in connection with those deaths.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the evidence turned over by federal investigators included previously withheld hard drives containing statements, police body camera video and other materials. They also turned over Good's badly damaged SUV.
Federal officials had previously suggested state prosecutors lacked jurisdiction to investigate federal officers involved in the killings. Legal documents filed in a lawsuit brought by state and local officials against the Department of Homeland Security and Justice Department suggest the evidence release came after federal officials asked the state in June for evidence gathered in the investigation of ICE agent Christian Castro, who faces charges connected to a nonfatal shooting on Jan. 14.
What the Right Is Saying
President Trump's administration has defended its immigration enforcement operations as necessary responses to public safety threats. The White House has not commented specifically on the evidence turnover, and spokespeople for ICE and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The administration has argued that federal officers acting in official capacity fall under federal jurisdiction, a position consistent with longstanding executive branch practice regarding investigations into federal personnel.
Immigration enforcement supporters have pointed to what they describe as dangerous confrontations at protests targeting immigration operations. Operation Metro Surge was framed by the administration as addressing public safety concerns, and administration officials have suggested some protest activity created volatile situations.
Federal prosecutors in Minnesota did not provide comment on the evidence release or ongoing investigations.
What the Left Is Saying
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he remains "deeply troubled" that it took more than half a year for federal officials to hand over the materials, despite long-standing cooperation between agencies on major investigations.
"It should never have taken this long," Ellison said in a statement. "I hope that this is the beginning of a major course correction on the part of the federal government."
Moriarty said any time the government is responsible for taking the life of a community member, there must be a full and thorough investigation.
"The wonderful thing now is we have all the evidence," Moriarty told reporters. "Any time the government is responsible in whatever way of taking the life of a community member we need to have a full and thorough investigation."
Lawyers for Good's family said the transfer of evidence represented "an important and meaningful step towards justice and accountability." Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans wrote in legal filings that federal agencies had declined to share evidence without providing substantive reasons beyond stating the shootings were solely "federal" matters.
What the Numbers Show
At least 9 people have been killed since the Trump administration's immigration enforcement campaign began last year.
0 charges have been filed in connection with any of those nine deaths as of Monday's announcement.
Minnesota sued the federal government last month seeking access to evidence for investigations into three shootings, including Good, Pretti, and the nonfatal shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis by ICE agent Christian Castro on Jan. 14.
The evidence exchange appears linked to a reciprocal sharing arrangement: state prosecutors said they would provide evidence in Castro's case once federal officials agreed to share materials from the fatal shootings.
Operation Metro Surge ended in February after thousands of ICE agents withdrew from Minnesota, marking the conclusion of what authorities called the largest immigration enforcement operation in U.S. history.
The Bottom Line
Prosecutors now have access to evidence they sought for more than six months. Moriarty said investigators are poring over the materials but declined to provide details on potential charges or timelines.
The case raises questions about federal-state cooperation in investigating deaths involving federal officers. Minnesota officials had argued that longstanding precedent allows state and local authorities to investigate such incidents, while the federal government suggested otherwise.
Similar tensions emerged Monday when Houston prosecutors said they remain unable to obtain basic information from federal officials nearly a week after ICE officers shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo on July 7. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said his office does not know the identities of the officers involved or their current location, an unusual situation following an officer-involved fatality.
Watch for whether charges emerge in Minnesota and how the Houston investigation proceeds. The outcomes could establish precedent for state authority to investigate federal officers during immigration enforcement operations.