“We argue in this lawsuit that we share jurisdiction with the federal government,” state Attorney General Keith Ellison said. “These incidents happen in Minnesota and fall under Minnesota state law.”
Minnesota has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, demanding that the federal government release evidence related to three shootings that occurred during “Operation Metro Surge.”
According to Minnesota Public Radio News, two of the shootings resulted in the deaths of U.S. citizens Renee Macklin Good and Alex Pretti. The third left Minnesota resident Julio Sosa-Celis injured.
In court documents, state officials say that the federal government has repeatedly declined to share evidence and ignored requests for more information.
Furthermore, Minnesota alleges that immigration officers physically prevented state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigators from accessing the scene where Alex Pretti was shot and killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
The state claims that it has the “authority and responsibility to protect against and address violence within its borders.”
In a press conference announcing the lawsuit, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said that the lawsuit is designed to force federal agencies to share more information about the three shootings.
“The lawsuit seeks to force the federal government to provide access to evidence in three cases, the killing of Renee Good, the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis and the killing of Alex Pretti,” Moriarty said.
Morarity also accused the Trump administration of adopting a new—and highly troubling—approach to immigration enforcement operations, which includes regularly refusing to share information with state officials.
“The federal government has adopted a policy of categorically withholding evidence from us related to shootings involving federal agents during Operation Metro surge,” she said.
“The lawsuit today challenging the categorical withholding of all evidence from a state for criminal investigation is unprecedented in American history,” Moriarty added.
MPR notes that all three shootings occurred during Operation Metro Surge, which began in late 2025. The operation has been described as the largest-ever enforcement action in ICE’s history and involved the deployment of thousands of agents, many poorly-trained and inexperienced, across the state. Multiple encounters between ICE and local residents have ended in violence.
Moriarty said that, during the earliest stages of the state’s investigation, cooperation with federal authorities appeared to be following standard procedures. However, the relationship rapidly deteriorated. On the day of Macklin Good’s death, “the federal government abruptly decided to stop all collaboration in information sharing,” she said.
She described other similar incidents, including the aftermath of Sosa-Celis’s shooting.
“The investigation began as a joint effort,” she said, “however, the cooperation again abruptly ended.”
Minnesota state Attorney General Keith Ellison has since described the circumstances surrounding each shooting, and the federal government’s response to every investigation, as “extraordinary.”
“We argue in this lawsuit that we share jurisdiction with the federal government,” Ellison said. “These incidents happen in Minnesota and fall under Minnesota state law.”
Moriarty has since pledged to continue investigating the deaths, with or without the cooperation of the Trump administration.
“We will not sit by and let that happen,” she said. “We are prepared to fight for transparency and accountability.”
Sources
Minnesota Kicks Off Legal Battle With Trump Administration to Hold ICE Shooters Accountable
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