ACLU Seeks To Restore Limits On Agents After Minnesota Shooting

The American Civil Liberties Union has asked a federal appeals court to immediately reinstate restrictions on federal immigration agents in Minnesota following the fatal shooting of a man by officers in Minneapolis.

A group of Minnesota residents, backed by the state’s ACLU chapter, returned to court late Saturday arguing that the killing shows “escalating, imminent risks” posed by federal agents operating in the state.

The plaintiffs are seeking emergency action from the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after an injunction limiting agents’ conduct was temporarily lifted earlier this week.

Federal agents shot and killed Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, during what the Department of Homeland Security described as a targeted immigration enforcement operation. DHS said Pretti was armed and violently resisted officers.

That account is disputed by at least one witness. In a sworn declaration filed with the court, an unnamed individual said Pretti was trying to help when agents opened fire. “I was five feet from him and they just shot him,” the witness wrote.

The shooting marked the second fatal incident involving federal immigration agents in Minnesota since the Trump administration launched “Operation Metro Surge,” which dramatically increased enforcement activity across the Twin Cities.

The lawsuit was originally filed on Dec. 17, alleging federal officers violated First Amendment rights during protests against the enforcement surge. Last week, U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez issued an injunction barring agents from retaliating against peaceful protesters or using pepper spray and similar crowd-control tools.

The Justice Department appealed, arguing the order endangered officers and public safety. On Wednesday, the 8th Circuit temporarily paused the injunction while it considers the administration’s appeal.

In their new filing, plaintiffs warned that every hour without court intervention creates new opportunities for harm and urged the appeals court to act by Sunday evening.

Key Takeaways

• ACLU-backed plaintiffs are seeking emergency reinstatement of limits on federal agents.

• The request follows a fatal Minneapolis shooting disputed by eyewitness testimony.

• A prior injunction was paused by an appeals court amid DOJ objections.

SOURCE: THE HILL

Trump is overstepping his boundaries and pushing the envelope when it comes to abusive power at every turn, and with every opportunity that he gets. He likens himself to be some sort of dictatorial strongman with unlimited power, and he just doesn't care. He knows that the US Congress and Senate are fairly impotent, the Supreme Court is highly compromised, and that he can get away with just about anything.

He is just continuing the militarization of law enforcement in America, and he's essentially given the (I) Incendiary (C) Citizen (E) Excess agency a license to kill American citizens, with absolute immunity, no fear of prosecution, and a guarantee from the federal government that all investigations will be squashed and not pursued.

In other words he's doing everything he can to turn America into a lawless Banana Republic at the federal level. And all this coming from a guy who pretends to be in support of Law and Order. That would be amusing if it wasn't so utterly tragic.