Courts, AGs and DOJ clash over evidence in Renee Good, Alex Pretti ICE shootings
The fatal ICE shooting of Renee Good and a subsequent Border Patrol shooting that killed Alex Pretti have set off protests, an "ICE Out" strike, federal grand‑jury subpoenas to state offices, the staging and limited activation of the Minnesota National Guard, and the resignation of several federal prosecutors amid sharply escalated tensions over a large federal agent surge in Minneapolis. At the same time Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and local officials have sued for court‑ordered preservation, independent custody and disclosure of video and other evidence while DOJ warns such broad orders would impede criminal probes and is resisting, setting up a likely appellate fight over who controls and must produce the evidentiary record.
📌 Key Facts
- Two separate federal agent–involved shootings in Minneapolis have intensified the crisis: ICE officer Jonathan Ross fatally shot 37‑year‑old Renee Good (Hennepin County Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide caused by multiple gunshot wounds; Ross has claimed self‑defense and DHS said he suffered internal bleeding after being struck by her vehicle), and a later Border Patrol‑involved shooting killed 37‑year‑old Alex Pretti near 26th and Nicollet — the third federal‑agent shooting in the area in about a month.
- New and extended video (body‑cam, bystander and surveillance) showing minutes before the shootings has added granular visual context, raised apparent conflicts between DHS/federal accounts and local eyewitness narratives, and fueled fresh waves of public anger and organizing.
- State and federal officials are in an escalating legal fight over preservation and access to evidence in the Good and Pretti cases: Minnesota has sought a court‑ordered Preservation of Evidence, an independent repository and strict chain‑of‑custody safeguards (citing past DHS document destruction), while DOJ argues broad preservation orders would interfere with criminal investigations and contends plaintiffs already have unusually extensive video — signaling a likely appellate battle.
- DOJ has issued federal grand‑jury subpoenas to five Minnesota government offices (including Gov. Tim Walz, AG Keith Ellison and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey), six federal prosecutors (including First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson) resigned over the handling of the Good investigation, and state officials (including Ellison and other city/state lawyers) are publicly disputing federal actions.
- The federal Operation Metro Surge has significantly increased federal agent presence in Minnesota (reported at more than 2,000 agents, with critics characterizing it as a roughly 3,000‑agent surge); Minneapolis has moved to seek a temporary restraining order to halt the operation and eject federal agents, while the Minnesota National Guard was activated to assist MPD with a limited vehicle perimeter (residential traffic allowed only between Franklin and 28th from Pillsbury to I‑35W) and crowd‑management support.
- Widespread protests and community actions have followed the shootings and federal activity: organizers launched an 'ICE Out Minnesota' general strike and large downtown marches (hundreds of businesses closed in an 'economic blackout'), schools staged walkouts or offered virtual classes, and law enforcement responses have included use of a chemical irritant (described as tear gas) near the Renee Good memorial and reports that ICE officers forcibly stopped and questioned a Latino driver — allegations of targeting that local officials say require more community observers.
- The situation has prompted high‑level political responses and national attention: Gov. Walz scheduled a statewide address amid the 'ICE crackdown,' Vice President J.D. Vance planned a visit and roundtable, President Trump publicly amplified fraud claims about Minnesota while criticizing opponents of the surge, and elected officials across the spectrum (including Sen. Amy Klobuchar calling for ICE to leave Minnesota) have weighed in.
📊 Relevant Data
Somali immigrants in Minnesota exhibit higher rates of involvement in certain crimes, such as fraud, compared to natives, though overall crime statistics are contested.
Yes, Somali Immigrants Commit More Crime Than Natives — City Journal
Venezuelan immigrants commit substantially fewer crimes than the native-born, relative to their share in the population, based on data from host countries like Colombia, Peru, and Chile.
Venezuelan migration, crime, and misperceptions: A review of data from Colombia, Peru, and Chile — Brookings
The incarceration rate for illegal immigrants in the US was 613 per 100,000 in 2023, compared to 1,221 per 100,000 for native-born Americans.
Illegal Immigrant Incarceration Rates, 2010–2023 — Cato Institute
Venezuelan migrants add over USD 10 billion a year to regional economies in Latin America through fiscal contributions representing around 1.2 per cent of total tax revenue.
Venezuelan Migrants Add Over USD 10 Billion a Year to Regional Economies — IOM
Allowing Venezuelans in the United States in Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to stay would be significantly more valuable to the U.S. economy than sales of Venezuela's oil.
Venezuelan Immigrants More Valuable For America Than Venezuela’s Oil — Forbes
The primary drivers of Venezuelan migration to the US include political instability, economic collapse, and humanitarian crises in Venezuela.
Venezuela | migrationpolicy.org — Migration Policy Institute
Federal immigration officers were involved in 19 shootings in the US from 2025 to early 2026.
Data: Federal immigration officers involved in 19 shootings ... — WESH
There was an unprecedented 1300% increase in assaults against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in 2025-2026, attributed to radical rhetoric by sanctuary politicians.
Radical Rhetoric by Sanctuary Politicians Leads to an Unprecedented 1300% Increase in Assaults — DHS
97% of all immigration-related demonstrations in the US in early 2025 saw no violence or contentious activity.
Mapping the Rise in Immigration-Related Demonstrations in Early 2025 — Bridging Divides Initiative
📰 Source Timeline (10)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Reveals that state and local officials (Ellison, Moriarty) and DOJ are in an escalating legal battle over preservation and access to evidence in the Good and Pretti shootings, with each side accusing the other of bad faith.
- Details that the state’s lawsuit is not just generically asking DHS to preserve evidence, but has filed a specific Preservation of Evidence order and is pressing for an independent repository and chain‑of‑custody safeguards, citing past DHS document destruction in other contexts.
- Reports that DOJ is pushing back hard, arguing that broad preservation orders would interfere with criminal investigations and that plaintiffs already have more video than the government normally discloses at this stage, signaling a likely appellate fight.
- Lays out the core factual disputes: where shots were fired from, what bystander and surveillance video shows about Good’s and Pretti’s movements, and whether Border Patrol/ICE accounts match the visual record.
- Underscores, through quotes from lawyers and experts, that without robust court‑enforced preservation and disclosure, Hennepin County and civil attorneys may never be able to fully reconstruct what federal agents did on city streets.
- Confirms a third federal agent-involved shooting in Minneapolis in about a month, this one killing 37‑year‑old Alex Pretti near 26th and Nicollet during a Border Patrol operation.
- Reports that Mayor Jacob Frey has formally requested Minnesota National Guard assistance to support MPD and maintain a vehicle perimeter in the shooting area.
- Details Minneapolis’ plan to file a motion for a temporary restraining order on Monday seeking to immediately halt Operation Metro Surge and eject federal agents from Minnesota.
- Quotes Sen. Amy Klobuchar explicitly calling for ICE to leave Minnesota, arguing the 3,000‑agent surge is making the city less safe.
- Spells out the specific perimeter boundaries and Guard role: only residential traffic between Franklin and 28th from Pillsbury to I‑35W, Guards in reflective vests assisting MPD.
- Hennepin County Medical Examiner has officially ruled Renee Good’s death a homicide, listing the cause as 'multiple gunshot wounds' inflicted by a law enforcement officer.
- Organizers have launched an 'ICE Out Minnesota' general strike, urging no work, no school and no shopping, and FOX 9 reports hundreds of businesses across Minnesota – including in the Twin Cities – are closed in an 'economic blackout' protest.
- A large 'ICE Out of MN: A Day of Truth and Freedom' march is scheduled to step off at 2 p.m. from The Commons in downtown Minneapolis and end with a Target Center rally.
- DHS publicly posted that Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey 'must work with the federal government to make America safe again,' citing a botched St. Paul raid where ICE dragged an elderly Hmong man outside in shorts and Crocs while the actual suspect was already in state custody.
- Confirms that DOJ has already served federal grand‑jury subpoenas on five Minnesota government offices, including Gov. Tim Walz, AG Keith Ellison and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, in connection with Operation Metro Surge.
- Adds that state lawmakers are publicly backing a Jan. 23 'ICE Out of MN: Day of Truth and Freedom' general strike, urging Minnesotans to pause work, school and shopping and join a downtown Minneapolis march.
- Reports President Trump’s new World Economic Forum comments using wildly inflated fraud figures for Minnesota ('could be more than $19 billion') and calling Minnesotans who oppose ICE 'stupid people' who 'don’t appreciate' federal help.
- Reveals Vice President JD Vance will fly into Minneapolis on Thursday to hold a roundtable and deliver remarks on the surge and fraud narrative.
- Documents a fresh warning from Minneapolis Council Member Jason Chavez of a visible uptick in ICE presence across south Minneapolis and his call for more community observers.
- DPS and the Minnesota National Guard, along with unnamed partner agencies, are holding a joint 'public safety briefing' specifically about this coming weekend’s anticipated pro‑ and anti‑ICE protests.
- The briefing is explicitly framed as a coordinated protest safety plan in response to two ICE‑involved shootings in Minneapolis – Renee Good’s killing on Jan. 7 in south Minneapolis and the non‑fatal north‑side shooting one week later.
- The story notes that federal presence under Operation Metro Surge has climbed to more than 2,000 agents in Minnesota, and sets this local safety planning against Trump’s recent Insurrection Act threats, which he partially walked back by saying there is 'no reason right now' to invoke it in Minneapolis.
- Gov. Tim Walz has scheduled a statewide address for 7 p.m. Wednesday specifically 'amid the ICE crackdown.'
- The piece ties the timing to exactly seven days since ICE officer Jonathan Ross shot and killed 37‑year‑old Renee Nicole Good, with Ross claiming self‑defense and DHS saying he suffered internal bleeding when struck by her vehicle.
- Minnesota House Republicans drafted articles of impeachment against Walz earlier in the day, accusing him of failing to stop or disclose fraud in state programs.
- The article notes that a federal judge has ruled ICE may continue operations in Minnesota while legal challenges proceed.
- It reiterates that six federal prosecutors, including First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson, resigned over how the Good shooting investigation is being handled.
- The story links Walz’s address to mounting school walkouts, protests and St. Paul’s move to offer virtual classes beginning Jan. 22 because of ICE activity.
- ICE officers used a chemical irritant described as tear gas to disperse protesters at E. 35th St. & Park Ave., about two blocks from the Renee Good memorial.
- Council Member Jason Chavez says ICE ‘rammed’ a Latino driver’s car, then questioned his immigration status; the driver was a U.S. citizen who was ultimately released.
- The driver tells FOX 9 he believes he was targeted solely because he is Latino, and says ICE hit his car after activating lights as he attempted to pull over.
- Adds granular visual context about the scene and vehicle movements before the shots, which will inform state decision‑making about whether unrest risk is rising or falling as more evidence becomes public.
- Highlights that the dispute between DHS’s account and local eyewitness/advocate narratives is no longer theoretical but now hinges on interpretable video evidence accessible to the public.
- Underscores how quickly each new piece of documentation (body‑cam, bystander video, now extended pre‑shooting footage) is triggering fresh waves of online anger and organizing in the Twin Cities, directly relevant to the Guard standby decision.