DOJ says there's no basis for criminal civil rights investigation in Good's killing

MINNEAPOLIS — A top official with the Justice Department said Tuesday he doesn't believe there is any basis to open a criminal civil rights investigation into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Jonathan Ross's killing of Renee Good last week in Minneapolis. 

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche's statement, first reported by CNN, did not elaborate on how the department reached a conclusion that no investigation was warranted.

While an FBI probe is ongoing, lawyers in the Civil Rights Division were informed last week they wouldn't play a role in the investigation at this time, two people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.

The quick pronouncement by administration officials before any meaningful investigation could be completed raised concerns about the federal government’s determination to conduct a thorough review of the chain of events precipitating the shooting.

Minnesota officials 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, about 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, people familiar with the matter said.

Among the departures in Minnesota is First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson, who led 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 on condition of anonymity.

They are among an exodus of career Justice Department attorneys who resigned or were forced out over concerns about political pressure or shifting priorities under the Trump administration. Hundreds of Justice Department lawyers were fired or left voluntarily over the past year.

The Trump administration defends Ross, claiming he acted in self-defense. That explanation was widely panned by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and others based on videos of the killing.

State and local authorities urged the public to share video and other evidence as they seek to separately investigate Good's death after federal authorities insisted they would approach it alone and not share information.

The government's immigration crackdown is soon headed to a federal court where Minnesota and two mayors asked a judge to immediately suspend the operation. A judge set a status conference for Wednesday.

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With the Department of Homeland Security pledging to send more than 2,000 immigration officers into Minnesota, the state, joined by Minneapolis and St. Paul, sued President Donald Trump's administration Monday to halt or limit the surge.

The lawsuit says Homeland Security is violating the First Amendment and other constitutional protections by focusing on a progressive state that favors Democrats and welcomes immigrants.

"What we are seeing is thousands — plural — thousands of federal agents coming into our city. And, yeah, they're having a tremendous impact on day-to-day life," Frey said.

Homeland Security said it made more than 2,000 arrests in the state since early December and vows not to back down.

Clashes with authorities

Federal officers dropped tear gas and sprayed eye irritant at activists Tuesday during another day of confrontations in Minneapolis while students miles away walked out of a suburban school to protest the Trump administration's immigration sweeps.

Gas clouds filled a Minneapolis street near the area where Ross shot and killed Good last week. A man scrubbed his eyes with snow and screamed for help while agents in an unmarked vehicle sprayed an orange irritant and drove away.

Brita Anderson, who lives nearby and came to support neighborhood friends, said she was "incensed" to see agents in tactical gear and gas masks, and wondered about their purpose.

"It felt like the only reason they'd come here is to harass people," Anderson said.

In Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, students protesting the immigration enforcement operation walked out of school, as students in other communities have done this week. 

In a separate lawsuit, a judge said she would rule by Thursday or Friday on a request to restrict the use of force, such as chemical irritants, on people observing and recording agents' activities. Government attorneys claimed officers are acting within their authority and must protect themselves.

Temporary protections 

Trump’s administration, which rolled back protections for people from multiple countries in his second presidency, said Tuesday it will end temporary protected status for immigrants from Somalia. Many Somalis live in Minneapolis.

The Congressional Research Service last spring said Somalis comprised 705 out of almost 1.3 million TPS immigrants. The Department of Homeland Security said affected Somalis must leave the U.S. by March 17.