Minnesota Sues Trump DHS, Says Feds Blocking Probes of ICE Shooting Deaths
NPR reports that months after three Minneapolis‑area shootings by federal immigration agents during an ICE surge left U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Macklin Good dead and Venezuelan immigrant Julio Cesar Sosa‑Celis wounded, the status of purported federal investigations remains unclear and state officials say they see little sign of real criminal inquiry. The Department of Homeland Security says DOJ is leading the Pretti probe and that Good’s killing by ICE officer Jonathan Ross and the wounding of Sosa‑Celis remain under internal investigation, but DOJ has not commented and Minnesota authorities say federal agents seized or blocked access to key evidence and have withheld basic information such as most officers’ names and training records. In late March, Minnesota and Hennepin County sued the Trump administration for allegedly withholding evidence, including Good’s shrink‑wrapped car sitting unexamined in an FBI warehouse and Pretti’s cell phone, and a federal judge this week ordered agencies to turn over evidence related to Good’s death within three weeks in a separate case, though it will not be made public. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty says her office may still pursue state charges without federal cooperation, despite potential immunity defenses for federal officers, while legal scholar Rachel Moran argues the pattern suggests federal authorities are "actively preventing" state investigations rather than conducting robust joint probes. The standoff is fueling mounting local demands online for transparency and accountability in federal use‑of‑force cases and highlights how jurisdictional fights can leave families and communities in the dark when federal officers kill on U.S. streets.
📌 Key Facts
- Two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Macklin Good, were killed and Venezuelan immigrant Julio Cesar Sosa‑Celis was wounded in separate shootings by Border Patrol and ICE officers during a Minneapolis ICE surge.
- DHS says DOJ is leading the Pretti investigation and that internal DHS probes are underway in the Good and Sosa‑Celis cases, but DOJ has not responded to NPR and state officials say they see little evidence the agents are being criminally investigated.
- Minnesota and Hennepin County filed a lawsuit in late March accusing the Trump administration of withholding key evidence in all three shootings and say federal agents seized Good’s car, Pretti’s phone, and blocked state investigators from the Pretti scene.
- A federal judge has ordered federal agencies to produce evidence related to Good’s killing within three weeks in a separate case, though the materials will remain sealed from the public.
- Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty says her office is considering pursuing state charges even without federal‑held evidence, while legal scholar Rachel Moran says the pattern is highly unusual and appears to shut state investigators out of normally joint investigations.
📊 Relevant Data
From 2018 to 2022, there were 216 shootings by officers working for or with federal agencies including FBI, ATF, DEA, and US Marshals, with many incidents receiving little to no public attention and rare prosecutions.
Tracking 5 years of shootings by federal law enforcement: What the data shows — NBC News
Since January 20, 2025, there have been at least 34 shootings by U.S. immigration agents, resulting in 9 deaths, with victims including both U.S. citizens and immigrants.
List of shootings by U.S. immigration agents in the second Trump administration — Wikipedia
Venezuelan migration to the U.S. has been driven by economic collapse, political instability, hyperinflation, food insecurity, and a contraction of over 75% in Venezuela's economy since 2015, leading to nearly 7 million Venezuelans fleeing by 2022.
Regional Spillovers from the Venezuelan Crisis: Migration Flows and Their Impact on Latin America and the Caribbean — Joint Data Center
In Minnesota, the number of people with no criminal record detained by immigration enforcement agents increased by 2,450 percent in 2025 due to policy changes under the Trump administration.
By the Numbers: ICE in Minnesota — Mpls.St.Paul Magazine
Minnesota has the nation's largest Somali population, and recent demographic changes include a net gain of 33,000 people in 2025, increasing the total population to 5.83 million, with shifts influenced by immigration.
Minnesota gained more people from other states in 2025, a first this decade — Star Tribune
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