Roughly six federal prosecutors in Minnesota have stepped down in the midst of upheaval surrounding the federal inquiry into the death of a woman at the hands of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis. Additionally, numerous supervisors within the criminal division of the Justice Department’s civil rights segment have also signaled their intentions to leave.
The resignations come on the heels of escalating tensions following the Trump administration’s decision to exclude the state from the investigation into the shooting of Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an immigration agent recently. Members of the civil rights division’s legal team, responsible for investigating notable officer-involved shootings, were informed that the division would not be participating in the investigation at this stage.
A senior Justice Department official stated on Tuesday that there is currently no basis for initiating a criminal civil rights investigation into Good’s death. This move represents a significant departure from prior administrations, which promptly launched probes into officer-involved shootings for potential civil rights violations.
Among those departing their roles in Minnesota is First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson, who had been overseeing a wide-ranging probe and prosecution of fraudulent activities in the state. At least four other prosecutors from the Minnesota U.S. attorney’s office have also resigned in the midst of internal tensions.
The mass resignations are part of a broader trend of career prosecutors leaving the Justice Department due to concerns over political influence or changing priorities under the current administration. Hundreds of Justice Department attorneys have either been dismissed or have voluntarily departed in the past year.
Minnesota lawmakers from the Democratic party have criticized the resignations, with Sen. Amy Klobuchar describing them as a loss for public safety and warning against allowing political motivations to dictate prosecutions. Governor Tim Walz has raised alarms about potential political pressures on career Justice Department officials.
The departures of the attorneys in the civil rights division’s criminal section, including the division chief, were officially announced to staff on Monday. The Justice Department clarified on Tuesday that these prosecutors had expressed interest in participating in an early retirement program before the recent events in Minnesota and refuted any claims suggesting otherwise.
The civil rights division, established nearly seven decades ago, has a storied history of investigating officer-involved shootings, though prosecutors typically face high thresholds for pursuing criminal charges. Previous administrations have swiftly initiated and publicized such investigations to underscore federal oversight over potential civil rights breaches and alleviate community concerns arising from law enforcement-related shootings.
In a previous instance in Minneapolis, during the initial Trump administration, the Justice Department launched a civil rights inquiry into the 2020 death of George Floyd at the hands of local police officers, resulting in criminal charges. Separately, the Biden administration scrutinized the Minneapolis Police Department for potential systemic civil rights violations through a “pattern or practice” investigation, a type of police reform assessment that has fallen out of favor in the current Justice Department under the Trump administration.