Deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis reignite legal battle between Democratic states and ICE

"The deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, two 37-year-old American citizens shot by federal agents in Minneapolis, have accelerated a legislative offensive in Democratic-led states to rein in immigration authorities and demand accountability for abuses and violations of constitutional rights. These initiatives are a direct challenge to the anti-immigrant agenda of the Trump administration, and include measures ranging from enabling civil lawsuits against agents to restricting cooperation between local and federal police."

"While Congress negotiates to impose new limits on immigration agents as a condition for funding the Department of Homeland Security, whose budget expires on February 14, state legislatures have redoubled their efforts to pass bills that in some cases have been stalled for months, driven by what they describe as growing impunity for federal agents amid a chilling wave of terror."

"The aggressive tactics of the second Trump administration have generated a renewed sense of urgency among state and local governments to push for changes aimed at protecting their immigrant communities from harmful forms of immigration enforcement, Ann Garcia, senior staff attorney at the National Immigration Project, explained via email. This is an attempt to fill a serious accountability gap that currently prevents people whose constitutional and civil rights have been violated by federal officials from filing civil lawsuits."

The deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, two 37-year-old American citizens shot by federal agents in Minneapolis, accelerated legislative efforts in Democratic-led states to rein in immigration authorities and demand accountability for abuses and constitutional violations. Measures include enabling civil lawsuits against agents and restricting cooperation between local and federal police. As Congress negotiates limits on immigration agents tied to Department of Homeland Security funding, state legislatures redoubled efforts to pass stalled bills, citing growing impunity for federal agents. Aggressive federal tactics, including National Guard deployments after mass immigration raids, increased urgency among state and local governments to protect immigrant communities. Advocates view new measures as an attempt to close accountability gaps preventing civil suits against federal officials.

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