Twin Cities county attorney opens evidence portal for possible crimes by federal agents

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office has unveiled a new online portal for the public to submit evidence in connection to more than a dozen incidents involving federal agents in the Twin Cities during Operation Metro Surge.

The new portal is called the Transparency and Accountability Project, or TAP. Through the online portal, community members can submit photos, videos or written accounts of what County Attorney Mary Moriarty is calling unlawful conduct during the surge. 

Moriarty says this is a route victims who may be afraid to speak publicly, or fear retaliation, can come forward in a safer way.

Specifically, they're looking into 17 incidents, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity on the property of Roosevelt High School in south Minneapolis on Jan. 8, one day after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good. Federal agents clashed with students and staff at the end of the school day, deploying chemical irritants and tackling several people in the encounter.

Another case involves allegations of force used by former Customs and Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino near Minneapolis' Mueller Park. Footage from the Jan. 22 incident shows Bovino toss chemical irritants into a crowd of protesters.  

"There is no absolute immunity for federal agents"

Moriarty says while investigating and prosecuting federal agents could be challenging, her team isn't afraid of a legal fight.   

"Federal agents can also try to rely on Supremacy Clause immunity, but I've said this repeatedly and I wanna be clear — there is no absolute immunity for federal agents. And we must fully be fully prepared to litigate these issues before filing a charge in state court," Moriarty said. "Make no mistake, we are not afraid of the legal fight, and we are committed to doing this correctly.

Moriarty also announced the closure of her office's first online portal, created to collect evidence in the deaths of Good and Alex Pretti, who was killed by Border Patrol agents in south Minneapolis on Jan. 24.

"We received over 1,000 submissions and it's simply, as I said, run its course, we feel," Moriarty said.

Moriarty prepared to sue feds for evidence

Moriarty also said her office is prepared to sue the federal government if the Department of Justice ignores her Tuesday deadline for providing evidence related to the fatal shootings of Good and Pretti, as well as the shooting of a Venezuelan national on Jan. 14 in north Minneapolis.

"If I were one of the federal agents, I would want that information, too. I would want any entity that was considering whether charges are appropriate to have that information, too. And if I'm the public, if I'm the government, I would want transparency," she said. "It is not helpful for the government to say, 'Well, these people were domestic terrorists' or something like that … What the public wants is a transparent, thorough investigation."