They have moved slowly, encumbered by a belief that a reversion to the old ways of #federal - #state cooperation might still be possible. The killings of #ReneeGood & #AlexPretti — & the federal response to those killings — ought to put this lingering nostalgia to rest. A return to the days of state-federal cooperation will not happen unless the #states reassert themselves to protect their citizens & punish federal #lawlessness.

#law #Trump #CivilRights #UseOfForce #ICE #CBP #Sturmabteilung

Unlike these constitutional cases, a public-nuisance complaint flexes a well-recognized & historically based exercise of #state #sovereignty. True, its application is novel. But that simply tells us that we live in a moment of new political challenges.

Until now, #states & #cities have been in denial about those challenges. They have not grasped the profound & potentially irreversible rupture in #federal-state relations that’s under way.

#law

In practical effect, this would be a device to transform ICE’s #obstruction into not just a violation of #state #law, but also of a #federal-court order.

#Criminal #liability by its nature comes too late to stop harms from happening. #States such as #Minnesota should also look to #CivilLaw as a basis for stopping baleful & unlawful #ICE tactics. This also requires some creative thinking—taking a legal tool designed for other purposes & fitting it to our new reality.

#Minnesota, & other #BlueStates, should also enact new laws that make #federal #obstruction harder. The #AlexPretti case shows that #ICE officials were willing to ignore a #state-court #warrant. Perhaps anticipating that, Minnesota officials went to federal court on Saturday, potentially after the scene of Pretti’s #shooting had been compromised, & obtained a temporary restraining order about #evidence preservation. The legal basis for such orders, however, may be fragile.

#law

When a #shooting victim then dies, penalties in #Minnesota for failing to aid the injured person can involve up to 2 yrs imprisonment.

In l #AlexPretti’s case, the #obstruction of key #evidence-gathering steps gives #state #prosecutors another potent opening, especially because #ICE agents acted in overt defiance of a #judicial #warrant. Minnesota has a #criminal #ObstructionOfJustice statute that applies to situations in which someone prevents officers from carrying out official duties.

#law

Drilling down on these facts reveals specific paths forward for #state #prosecutors even when a direct investigation is blocked.

Evidence of these 2 kinds of #crimes has already emerged in the 2 recent #ICE killings. After #ReneeGood was shot, ICE agents blocked a physician from aiding her. #Minnesota #law not only imposes misdemeanor liability for failures to aid in general, but in #shooting cases obligates the person who fired the wounding shot to “render immediate reasonable assistance.”

As a result, key forensic #evidence was almost certainly lost. This comes after state officials were excluded from the investigation into #ReneeGood’s death.

#Federal #obstruction of #Minnesota’s #criminal investigation merits more creative pushback from the #state: Leaving investigations in the hands of #DHS alone sends a powerful message to #ICE officers.

#law

American citizens have been brutalized, pepper-sprayed, & killed on the streets of #Minneapolis. For many, one particular breakdown is a final, damning cause for despair: Minnesota’s apparent inability to investigate & potentially prosecute the #FederalAgents responsible. The #DHS on Saturday reportedly blocked #Minnesota officials from examining the scene of #AlexPretti’s #shooting. Access was refused even after #state officials got a #judicial search #warrant.

#law

#GiftArticle

City Prosecutors Join Forces to Bring Charges Against #FederalAgents

9 progressive #prosecutors from cities around the country are launching a coalition to assist in prosecuting federal law enforcement officers who violate #state #laws, one of the prosecutors, Larry Krasner in Philadelphia, said Tues.

#law #FAFO #federalism #10thAmendment #FederalGovernment #Trump #MafiaState #authoritarianism #autocracy #despotism #dictatorship #fascism #tyranny #MadKing
nytimes.com/2026/01/27/us/pros…

“They even got a #state search #warrant for a public area to conduct their investigation, but they were not allowed in,” O’Hara said.

The scene has since become “contaminated,” O’Hara said, adding the situation is “not ideal” for investigators.

#BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said Saturday that state & #local #police were unable to secure the scene & it was overrun by protesters, preventing the BCA from conducting its own investigation.

#law #AlexPretti #murder #CoverUp #Trump