Prosecutors quit as Trump's Justice Department refuses civil rights probe into Minnesota ICE killing of Renee Good

The US Justice Department has declined to open a civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of an unarmed American citizen by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis. Following the highly controversial decision, a growing revolt seems to be brewing inside the DOJ. Reports suggest that at least six federal prosecutors from the US attorney's Office in Minnesota have resigned this week in protest.

Prosecutors quit in protest

According to the New York Times, the departures include Joseph H. Thompson, the office's second-in-command.

Renee Nicole Good, 37, was shot dead on January 7 by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent during a federal operation in Minneapolis. Video footage from the scene appears to show her attempting to steer her vehicle away when she was "shot in the face" three times by an ICE agent later identified as Jonathan Ross. She was unarmed.

Fallout spreads beyond Minnesota

The resignations were not limited to one office. In Washington, four senior lawyers also stepped down from the Justice Department's civil rights division, including leaders tied to its criminal investigations unit, which traditionally probes excessive use of force by law enforcement.

The departures followed a decision by Harmeet Dhillon, the Trump-aligned assistant attorney general for civil rights, not to pursue a civil rights inquiry into Good's killing. Reuters reported that staff were told the division would not be involved at all.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Tuesday (Jan 13) said there was "no basis" for a criminal civil rights investigation, without explaining how that conclusion was reached. According to the Guardian, a Justice Department spokesperson has confirmed the resignations but denied they were connected to the shooting, calling any such link "false."

DOJ to look into the ICE shooting victim instead

According to reports, senior officials and the FBI are instead looking into the victim, Good's alleged "possible connections to activist groups", rather than focusing on the agent who fired the shots.

Since the killing, figures across the Donald Trump administration, includingthe POTUS himself and Vice President JD Vance, have publicly branded Good a "domestic terrorist," despite a lack of evidence.