Six senior federal prosecutors in Minnesota resigned on Tuesday in protest of the Justice Department’s decision to investigate Becca Good, widow of Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent, while refusing to pursue a criminal investigation of the agent involved, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Joseph H. Thompson, the acting U.S. attorney and head of a major fraud investigation in the state, was among those who quit, objecting to the department’s move and its refusal to cooperate with state officials in examining the legality of the shooting.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara described Thompson’s resignation as “a major blow to efforts to root out rampant theft from state agencies,” while Thompson’s colleagues and state officials warned that the Justice Department’s focus on the victim’s widow threatens to undermine trust in public safety agencies.
Becca Good has said she and her wife were “supporting our neighbors” when confronted by ICE agents, and critics argue that the department’s actions have diverted attention from investigating the officer responsible for Renee Good’s death.
Thompson’s departure coincides with the ongoing, large-scale federal immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota, which local leaders and immigrant rights groups have condemned as abusive and discriminatory.