Ellison Says DOJ Refuses Civil‑Rights Probe of Renee Good Killing as Minnesota Sues to Block DHS Operation Metro Surge
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says the Justice Department has refused to open a civil‑rights probe into the death of Renee Good, telling state investigators the FBI would lead any inquiry and that the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension would lose access to evidence—a development Ellison describes as part of politicized "retribution" tied to the federal Operation Metro Surge. Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul have sued to block the surge, alleging warrantless civil‑immigration arrests, racial profiling and excessive detention amid widespread community fear and harm to children, while DHS and Border Patrol tout arrests of noncitizens with criminal convictions and demand state and local officials honor ICE detainers.
📌 Key Facts
- Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says the U.S. Department of Justice told him it is not investigating the death of Renee Good, quoting Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche; Ellison says he has 'evidence to the contrary.'
- Ellison says the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension was informed the U.S. Attorney’s Office that the FBI would lead the Good probe, that BCA would lose access to scene evidence, case materials and interviews, and that BCA withdrew from the investigation.
- Minnesota and Minneapolis/St. Paul have filed a federal lawsuit alleging Operation Metro Surge includes warrantless civil immigration arrests without individualized probable cause, racial profiling, excessive detention, and that the surge is '100% about politics and retribution,' which Ellison ties to former President Trump’s statements about Minnesota.
- DHS and Border Patrol have publicly highlighted arrests of convicted offenders during Operation Metro Surge—naming individuals accused or convicted of child sexual conduct, sexual assault, drug trafficking and other crimes—and DHS officials, including Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, say many 'public safety threats' were released from local jails while renewing demands that state officials honor ICE detainers for more than 1,360 jailed noncitizens.
- St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her and Hmong community leaders say the Hmong Village marketplace and other hubs are largely empty because residents, including naturalized citizens, are afraid to leave home; vendors report business down 60–70% and many cannot cover roughly $1,400 monthly booth rents.
- Health providers and school officials report widespread fear and harm to children: a pediatrician at Children’s Minnesota said every patient recently discussed increased stress, trauma, anxiety and depression with symptoms such as emotional outbursts and regression, and Columbia Heights officials say multiple students under 18 have been detained by federal agents.
- Reporting describes specific recent incidents affecting children and families: chemical irritants used on a crowd that included students during school dismissal; tear gas that affected a family and sent a 6‑month‑old to the hospital; and federal officers detaining a 5‑year‑old boy whose whereabouts were initially unknown.
- Ellison rejected DHS’s claim that 5‑year‑old Liam Ramos was 'abandoned,' saying credible people who know the child dispute that account and calling his treatment 'another example of atrocity' under Operation Metro Surge.
📰 Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
January 24, 2026
2:23 AM
Minnesota AG Keith Ellison accuses White House of "politics and retribution"
New information:
- Keith Ellison says he has 'evidence to the contrary' that DOJ is investigating Renee Good’s death and quotes Deputy AG Todd Blanche as saying DOJ is not investigating at all.
- Ellison confirms the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension was told by the U.S. Attorney’s Office that the FBI would lead the Good probe alone and that BCA would lose access to scene evidence, case materials and interviews, prompting BCA’s withdrawal.
- Ellison flatly rejects DHS’s claim that 5‑year‑old Liam Ramos was 'abandoned,' says credible people who know the child refute that, and calls his treatment 'another example of atrocity' under Operation Metro Surge.
- The article outlines the core claims in Minnesota’s and Minneapolis/St. Paul’s federal lawsuit: alleged warrantless civil immigration arrests without individualized probable cause, racial profiling, excessive detention and a surge Ellison characterizes as '100% about politics and retribution.'
- Ellison publicly ties Operation Metro Surge to what he says is Trump’s explicit promise of 'retribution' and his grievance about 'losing' Minnesota, arguing the surge is retaliation, not neutral law enforcement.
January 23, 2026
7:04 PM
Convicted pedophiles, sex predators arrested in Minnesota immigration sweep within the last 24 hours
New information:
- DHS and Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino publicly tout specific arrests during Operation Metro Surge, naming several noncitizens with prior convictions as examples of the 'worst of the worst.'
- Newly identified arrestees include Jose Eliborio Ocampo‑Leon (Mexico), previously convicted of criminal sexual conduct with a victim under 16; Rudy Alexander Pineda‑Aguilar (Guatemala), convicted of criminal sexual conduct; and Gerardo Sanchez‑Acuna (Mexico), convicted of drug trafficking.
- Additional arrestees highlighted are Jeffrey Alexander Roman‑Rabanales (Guatemala), convicted of assault, domestic assault and property damage; Salvador Salazar‑Rivera (Mexico), convicted of domestic assault and inflicting corporal injury on a spouse; and Ayro Ariel Mimbrera‑Fernandez (Mexico), who had an outstanding federal arrest warrant related to amphetamines.
- DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin explicitly accuses Minnesota jails of having released 'many of these public safety threats' and renews the department’s demand that Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey honor ICE detainers on what DHS says are more than 1,360 jailed noncitizens.
January 22, 2026
9:01 AM
The ICE surge is fueling fear and anxiety among Twin Cities children
New information:
- Pediatrician Dr. Razaan Byrne at Children’s Minnesota reports every patient seen in a recent clinic day discussed increased stress, trauma, anxiety and depression stemming from ICE presence, with symptoms including emotional outbursts and regression such as bed‑wetting.
- Article describes specific recent incidents involving children: ICE use of chemical irritants on a crowd that included students during school dismissal; tear gas affecting a family in a car and sending a 6‑month‑old baby to the hospital; and federal officers in Columbia Heights detaining a 5‑year‑old boy whose whereabouts remain unknown.
- Columbia Heights Public School District superintendent Zena Stenvik says three other district students under 18 have been detained by federal agents in recent weeks and questions DHS’s claim that it is targeting only violent criminals.
2:12 AM
St. Paul mayor says city's Hmong community "afraid to leave their homes" due to ICE
New information:
- St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her says Hmong Village marketplace, a key hub for the nation’s largest Hmong community, now has many stalls standing empty because people are too afraid to go out during Operation Metro Surge.
- Her reports Hmong Village vendors telling her business is down 60–70%, leaving many unable to cover roughly $1,400‑a‑month booth rents.
- She says Hmong residents — including her own naturalized‑citizen parents — are 'afraid to leave their homes' and are keeping children home from school out of fear of ICE, despite being U.S. citizens or legal residents.
- Her, the first Asian American and first woman mayor of St. Paul, says U.S. citizens are being detained or targeted 'just by the way they look and the way that they sound,' challenging DHS’s narrative that only 'the worst of the worst' are at risk.
January 18, 2026