Minnesota sued the Trump administration on Tuesday. The state is asking a court to order federal agencies to provide evidence related to three shootings by federal officers.
This includes the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti during an immigration enforcement surge earlier this year. The lawsuit names the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, claiming state investigators have been blocked from accessing the information needed for independent reviews.
State officials stated that the case focuses on the killings of Good and Pretti, as well as the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who survived. The complaint says federal authorities initially promised to cooperate with Minnesota’s investigations but later withheld crucial evidence.
The state is asking the court to step in and formally rule on the issue, as well as order the federal government to act, arguing that its refusal to cooperate has made it difficult for Minnesota to carry out an independent investigation into the shootings.
Minnesota filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration over evidence related to shootings by federal officers, including the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. https://t.co/ELnYChqaIM pic.twitter.com/Xcf7hxOtKy
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) March 24, 2026
The ongoing conflict between Minnesota leaders and federal officials about what occurred during Operation Metro Surge. The controversial immigration enforcement campaign sent federal agents to Minneapolis and other areas of the state. The shootings led to protests and increased pressure on state and county officials to clarify what happened in each case, rather than relying only on federal reviews.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty stated the state is ready to pursue the case in court. “We are ready to fight for transparency and accountability,” Moriarty told reporters, according to the Associated Press. She also said independent investigations are vital when federal officers kill civilians, because local officials cannot depend on agencies to review their own actions.
This legal battle follows previous court action in January after Pretti was shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison obtained a temporary restraining order at that time, preventing federal agencies from destroying or altering evidence related to the shooting. Reuters reported that this preservation order was later lifted, and Minnesota’s new lawsuit shows that issue of access to evidence remains unresolved.
Navarro: They killed the wrong guy. Alex Pretti is the guy you would want to date your daughter, the guy you want your son to grow up to be, a decent human being who was serving humanity, serving sick veterans—there is nothing that has been said about that man that isn’t… pic.twitter.com/H7O2zB8JcC
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 28, 2026
The federal government has taken various positions on the shootings. The Justice Department opened a civil rights investigation into Pretti’s death, but AP reported it declined to initiate a similar investigation into Good’s killing.
In the case of Sosa-Celis, charges against him were dropped, and authorities began a criminal investigation into whether federal officers lied under oath. These inconsistencies have fueled state officials’ demand for access to evidence in all three cases.
Minnesota officials argue that withholding evidence has left the public and the victims’ families without clear answers in cases that have become pivotal in the state. The lawsuit does not address the shootings themselves but seeks to force the federal government to provide investigative materials so state authorities can advance their own findings.
At the time of writing this report, this case has become one of the most significant legal challenges to federal actions during the immigration crackdown in Minnesota.
