MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota has launched investigations into the actions of several federal law enforcement officers during the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities.
On Thursday, Hennepin County announced charges against an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent accused of pointing his gun at a motorist and passenger on a Minneapolis highway. A local prosecutor described the warrant for Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr.'s arrest as the first of its kind against an officer involved in the crackdown in Minnesota.
The government has suggested Minnesota prosecutors don't have jurisdiction to investigate federal officers. Nevertheless, Minnesota last month sued the administration for access to evidence for investigations into three shootings, including two that resulted in deaths.
Here's where some of the more high-profile cases stand:
Alex Pretti
Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was one of many protesters on a commercial street on Jan. 24 when he was shot and killed by federal officers.
The Trump administration said shots were fired "defensively" against Pretti, who federal authorities said had a semiautomatic handgun and was "violently" resisting officers. Multiple videos of the shooting contradict those claims, showing Pretti had only his mobile phone in his hand as officers tackled him to the ground. One of the officers removed a handgun from the back of Pretti's pants as another officer shot him in the back.
The Justice Department said the FBI was conducting a civil rights investigation into Pretti's killing, and Customs and Border Patrol is conducting its own internal investigation.
Renee Good
Good, a 37-year-old mother, was blocking a residential street with her SUV and honking her horn when immigration officers approached the vehicle. She began to pull forward and an ICE officer standing in front of the vehicle fired at least two shots into the car, killing Good.
The Department of Homeland Security has said the matter remains under investigation but that footage shows Good impeded law enforcement operations and weaponized her vehicle, leading the officer to act in self-defense.
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche has said the department’s Civil Rights Division does not investigate every law enforcement shooting and that there have to be circumstances and facts that “warrant an investigation.”
Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis
Sosa-Celis was wounded in January when a federal officer shot his right thigh. Federal officials initially accused Sosa-Celis and another man of beating an ICE officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel. But federal prosecutors later dropped all charges against the men, and authorities opened a criminal investigation into whether two immigration officers lied under oath about the shooting.
DHS has said both officers are on administrative leave as ICE and DOJ conduct a joint review.
ChongLy “Scott” Thao
Ramsey County, which includes St. Paul, is investigating federal officers' arrest of ChongLy "Scott" Thao, a Hmong American man, as a potential case of kidnapping, burglary and false imprisonment.
ICE officers bashed open the front door of Thao’s St. Paul home with guns drawn, then led him outside in just his underwear and a blanket in freezing conditions. The arrest was captured on widely shared video.
Ramsey County Attorney John Choi and Sheriff Bob Fletcher said Monday that they are pursuing information from DHS but have not been able to determine whether ICE officers had a warrant for Thao's arrest.
DHS said in a statement that ICE does not kidnap people and called the county's investigation a political stunt.
Other incidents
In early March, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said her office was investigating at least 17 cases and considering whether to bring misconduct charges against federal officers, including Border Patrol official Greg Bovino.
Included in the investigation was an incident in which Bovino threw a smoke canister at protesters on Jan. 21. Another on Jan. 7 involved federal officers making an arrest outside a high school and deploying chemical irritants with students and staff nearby.
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