Minnesota Sues US for Evidence Tied to Good, Pretti Killings

Minnesota sued the Trump administration Tuesday for blocking state law enforcement from investigating shootings involving federal immigration officers, including the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti.

The US Justice and Homeland Security departments took exclusive possession of evidence and then denied Minnesota investigators access to key information in three shootings that occurred during the administration’s Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, the state said in a complaint filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia.

The state alleges the departments have denied or ignored its formal requests through the agencies’ Touhy regulations governing disclosure of official documents or testimony, and neither agency has provided a lawful basis to justify their refusal to share the information with the state.

The refusal to share information reflects “a broader policy or practice not to share evidence with Minnesota in Operation Metro Surge use of-force investigations,” the complaint says, and it violates the state’s “core sovereign interests” in investigating potential crimes committed within its borders.

The administration’s Operation Metro Surge in the Twin Cities faced bipartisan criticism after Good and Pretti were killed by federal agents. The US Department of Homeland Security has also faced several lawsuits over agents allegedly using excessive force against peaceful protesters, targeting individuals perceived to be Somali or Hispanic, and getting authorization to conduct warrantless arrests. The administration announced last month that it was ending operations in Minneapolis.

Maryland similarly asserted in a lawsuit filed March 10 that DHS unlawfully denied its Touhy request for complaints, reports, and other documents related to conditions at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Baltimore.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension on Tuesday voluntarily dismissed its suit in Minnesota federal court against the administration over its reluctance to cooperate with state law enforcement in its investigation into Pretti’s death.

The state asserts violations of the Administrative Procedure Act and the Tenth Amendment. It’s seeking a court order requiring DOJ and DHS to comply with its Touhy requests and provide access to evidence connected to the shootings.

DHS and DOJ didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

The state attorney general’s office, Washington Litigation Group, Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, and Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection represent the plaintiffs.

The case is State of Minn. v. US Dep’t of Just., D.D.C., No. 1:26-cv-01007, complaint filed 3/24/26.