Justice Department sees no basis for civil rights probe in Minnesota ICE
shooting, official says
[January 14, 2026]
By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ERIC TUCKER
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department does not believe there is
currently any basis to open a criminal civil rights investigation into
the killing of a woman by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
officer in Minneapolis, a top department official said Tuesday.
The decision to keep the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division out
of the investigation into the fatal shooting of Renee Good marks a sharp
departure from past administrations, which have moved quickly to probe
shootings of civilians by law enforcement officials for potential civil
rights offenses.
While an FBI probe is ongoing, lawyers in the Civil Rights Division were
informed last week that they would not play a role in the investigation
at this time, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke
on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal department
deliberations.
And on Tuesday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement
that “there is currently no basis for a criminal civil rights
investigation.” The statement, first reported by CNN, did not elaborate
on how the department had reached a conclusion that no investigation was
warranted.
Federal officials have said that the officer acted in self-defense and
that the driver of the Honda was engaging in “an act of domestic
terrorism” when she pulled forward toward him.
The quick pronouncement by administration officials before any
meaningful investigation could be completed has raised concerns about
the federal government’s determination to conduct a thorough review of
the chain of events precipitating the shooting. Minnesota officials have
also raised alarm after federal officials blocked state investigators
from accessing evidence and declared that Minnesota has no jurisdiction
to investigate the killing.
Also this week, roughly half a dozen federal prosecutors in Minnesota
resigned and several supervisors in the criminal section of the Civil
Rights Division in Washington gave notice of their departures amid
turmoil over the federal probe, according to people familiar with the
matter.
Among the departures in Minnesota is First Assistant U.S. Attorney
Joseph Thompson, who had been leading the sprawling investigation and
prosecution of fraud schemes in the state, two other people said. At
least four other prosecutors in the Minnesota U.S. attorney's office
joined Thompson in resigning amid a period of tension in the office, the
people said. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss
personnel matters.
They are the latest in an exodus of career Justice Department attorneys
who have resigned or been forced out over concerns over political
pressure or shifting priorities under the Trump administration. Hundreds
of Justice Department lawyers have been fired or have left voluntarily
over the last year.
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Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson, center, answers questions
during a news conference at the Minneapolis federal courthouse on
March 19, 2025, in Minneapolis. (Kerem Yücel/Minnesota Public Radio
via AP, file)
Minnesota Democratic lawmakers criticized the departures, with Sen.
Amy Klobuchar, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, calling
the resignations “a loss for our state and for public safety” and
warning that prosecutions should not be driven by politics. Gov. Tim
Walz said the departures raised concerns about political pressure on
career Justice Department officials.
The resignations of the lawyers in the Civil Rights Division's
criminal section, including its chief, were announced to staff on
Monday, days after lawyers were told the section would not be
involved in the probe. The Justice Department on Tuesday said those
prosecutors had requested to participate in an early retirement
program “well before the events in Minnesota,” and added that “any
suggestion to the contrary is false.”
Founded nearly 70 years ago, the Civil Rights Division has a long
history of investigating shootings by law enforcement even though
prosecutors typically need to clear a high bar to mount a criminal
prosecution.
In prior administrations, the division has moved quickly to open and
publicly announce such investigations, not only to reflect federal
jurisdiction over potential civil rights violations but also in
hopes of soothing community angst that sometimes accompanies
shootings involving law enforcement.
“The level of grief, tension and anxiety on the ground in Minnesota
is not surprising,” said Kristen Clarke, who led the Civil Rights
Division under the Biden administration. “And historically the
federal government has played an important role by being a neutral
and impartial agency committing its resources to conducting a full
and fair investigation, and the public loses out when that doesn’t
happen,” she said.
In Minneapolis, for instance, the Justice Department during the
first Trump administration opened a civil rights investigation into
the 2020 death of George Floyd at the hands of city police officers
that resulted in criminal charges. The Minneapolis Police Department
was separately scrutinized by the Biden administration for potential
systemic civil rights violations through what’s known as a “pattern
or practice” investigation, a type of police reform inquiry that is
out of favor in the current Trump administration Justice Department.
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