The Hennepin County Prosecutor's Office launched an unprecedented legal offensive against federal immigration agents by announcing the opening of the “Transparency and Accountability Project,” an investigation that targets more than A dozen incidents of alleged illegal repression during the controversial Operation Metro Surge. County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced the creation of the project to determine whether state or federal laws were violated during the immigration operations carried out in Minneapolis and its surrounding areas. Among those named is Gregory Bovino, who was the main commander of these operations before being relieved of his command. The district attorney's office is actively investigating 17 incidents reported by the community, including videos showing Bovino deploying chemical agents against crowds of protesters in Minneapolis on January 21. “We will investigate and file charges where appropriate,” Moriarty stated in a press release that resonated strongly in a community still wounded by the operations. “Make no mistake, we are not afraid of any legal battle. We will pursue it ethically, responsibly, and vigorously.”

A Trail of Blood and Tear Gas in the Twin Cities

Operation Metro Surge, described by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as its largest immigration enforcement effort to date, deployed nearly 3,000 ICE and Border Patrol agents in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Although the federal government claims to have arrested thousands of “criminal aliens,” the human cost to local residents has been, in the words of the prosecutor, “incalculable.”

The investigation is not only focused on the use of tear gas. The climate of tension reached its peak with the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both U.S. citizens who lost their lives at the hands of federal agents in separate incidents that were captured on camera.To strengthen cases, the prosecutor's office launched a new digital portal where residents can anonymously upload photos, videos, and descriptions of illegal activity. This evidence-gathering model was previously used in the investigations of the Good and Pretti shootings, whose cases are now in the hands of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. While Bovino returned to his duties in the El Centro, California sector, and "Border Czar" Tom Homan declared the operation in Minnesota over, local authorities insist that the federal withdrawal does not mean impunity. "There are many victims whose stories must be told," Moriarty concluded, making it clear that the battle for accountability has only just begun.