WASHINGTON (AP) — Minnesota officials filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday accusing the Trump administration of withholding evidence related to three shootings by federal officers, including the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
The lawsuit claims that the federal government reneged on its promise to cooperate with state investigations after Operation Metro Surge, asking the court to order them to comply.
The administration sent thousands of officers to the Minneapolis and St. Paul area for the immigration crackdown as part of President Donald Trump’s national deportation campaign. The Department of Homeland Security considered its largest immigration enforcement operation ever a success but was staunchly criticized by Minnesota’s leaders and raised questions over officers’ conduct.
The lawsuit said the federal government is not permitted 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.”
Emails seeking comment were sent to DHS and the Justice Department.
The Justice Department opened a federal civil rights investigation into Pretti’s killing in January but has stated that a similar federal probe was not warranted in Good's case, marking a sharp departure from past administrations. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche noted that not every law enforcement shooting warrants a federal investigation, indicating the necessity of specific circumstances. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty condemned the federal government’s perceived policy to systematically withhold evidence as alarming and unprecedented.
