Ema Alice: An FBI agent in Minneapolis who attempted to probe the death of a 37-year-old woman killed by a federal immigration officer earlier this month has resigned, according to multiple reports.
Tracee Mergen left her job in the bureau’s Minneapolis field office after facing pressure to discontinue an inquiry into the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, Jonathan Ross, according to The New York Times, which first reported on Mergen’s resignation.
“It is FBI policy not to comment on personnel matters,” the FBI said in a statement. Mergen’s exit comes after the Justice Department (DOJ) said it sees “no basis” for a civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Renee Good.
Good was fatally shot while in her SUV on Jan. 7 during an immigration operation in a Minneapolis neighborhood. A private autopsy revealed Good had gunshot wounds to her left forearm, right breast and head, and that a fourth bullet grazed her body.
Senior Trump administration officials were quick to justify the shooting as an act of self-defense, claiming that Good had attempted to use her vehicle as a weapon in an act of domestic terrorism.
Democrats have widely disputed that narrative, accusing the administration of lying and calling for an independent investigation. Federal investigators have refused to cooperate with local authorities, restricting their access to materials and evidence in the case after initially indicating it would be a joint investigation. That decision prompted Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) Superintendent Drew Evans to issue a statement on Jan. 8 saying that his agency had “reluctantly withdrawn” from the investigation.
Less than a week later, the Times reported that six federal prosecutors in Minnesota had resigned over the DOJ’s push to investigate Good’s widow.
Federal officials have doubled down on their defense of Ross, who is now “in hiding,” according to White House border czar Tom Homan.
Vice President JD Vance suggested after the shooting that Ross was protected by “absolute immunity.” However, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed Sunday that DHS was conducting an internal review of his actions, saying he was placed on three days of administrative leave following the incident, per protocol.
Meanwhile, the DOJ has subpoenaed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D), who have been openly critical of the growing presence of federal agents in the state, for allegedly obstructing an immigration enforcement investigation.
Walz dismissed the subpoenas as a “partisan distraction,” and Frey accused the Trump administration of weaponizing its authority to “try to intimidate local leaders doing their jobs.”
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BP/SM
