Over 300 Former DOJ Attorneys Call on Bondi to Permit Local Investigations into DHS-Related Fatalities, Citing a Significant Threat to the Rule of Law

Over 300 former attorneys from the Department of Justice are urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to adhere to long-standing protocols by permitting state and local authorities to conduct investigations into the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota.

In a letter addressed to Bondi and dated Wednesday, 303 ex-DOJ prosecutors and civil rights lawyers emphasize that preventing local investigations into the deaths of Good and Pretti, who were killed by Department of Homeland Security agents, would not only represent a “significant departure from established DOJ practices” but also “pose a grave risk to the rule of law.” The full letter can be accessed here.

On January 7, Renee Good, a mother and activist from Minneapolis, was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent while she was driving her SUV away from law enforcement. This incident occurred amid “Operation Metro Surge,” an initiative launched by the Trump administration that had federal immigration agents in the state since December.

Following Good’s killing, the DOJ announced that it saw “no basis for a criminal civil rights investigation,” and federal officials such as Vice President JD Vance were quick to denigrate her and state that the officer who killed her had “absolute immunity.”

Less than three weeks later, on January 24, DHS agents fatally shot Alex Pretti, a nurse in a Minneapolis intensive care unit, who was also an activist. In response, federal officials were quick to portray Pretti as having “violently resisted” their actions.

The letter to Bondi highlights that Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty have expressed their determination to thoroughly investigate these fatal incidents. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara has also sought the BCA’s assistance, as reported here. However, the former DOJ attorneys argue that local authorities have been excluded, citing reports that federal officials explicitly instructed BCA staff to leave the scene of Pretti’s death.

“As the 303 below signatories can attest from more than 60 years of collective experience, the DOJ has authority neither in the law nor in generally accepted law enforcement investigatory practices of officer-involved shootings to prevent BCA from conducting its own investigation in coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division,” the letter reads.

“Under well-established principles of dual sovereignty, both federal and state authorities may investigate and prosecute the same incident under their respective laws,” the ex-DOJ attorneys add.

The letter continues, stating it is “highly unusual” for federal authorities to shut out a state investigative agency from investigating a possible crime in its own jurisdiction. The ex-DOJ lawyers warn that preventing the state and county officials from investigating “would undermine cooperative law enforcement frameworks that exist to deliver accuracy, accountability, and public confidence in the rule of law and its impartial application.”

Furthermore, they say, if the Trump administration ultimately finds that the officers’ actions were “lawful and justified,” they should have no fear that the state and local investigators would not reach the same conclusion.

The letter proceeds to take a bird’s-eye view of the state of the U.S. and the national disconcertment with the fatal shootings.

No matter which party sits in the White House, DOJ plays a crucial role in ensuring that the American people can trust the justice system to preserve our foundational values of life and liberty. The well-being of the country seems to now sit on a knife’s edge, with President Trump acknowledging that de-escalation is necessary to avoid further loss of life, property, and trust in our institutions. For this to happen, DOJ should allow a transparent, unbiased, and impartial investigation into both shootings, including by sharing evidence with BCA and refraining from preventing BCA or local prosecutors from conducting independent investigations.

While the Trump administration has scaled back its immigration enforcement campaign in Minnesota, citizens, officials, and lawmakers have called for ICE to be abolished altogether. They argue the agency has no accountability and is exhibiting the same kind of lawlessness it is purportedly designed to prevent.

The letter, which was signed by attorneys who served in both Republican and Democratic administrations, was also sent to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.