Why DHS is investigating its own killings, briefly explained
This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here.
Welcome to The Logoff: After killing Alex Pretti in Minneapolis over the weekend, the Trump administration is preparing to sweep his death under the rug.
What’s happening? On Tuesday, MS NOW broke the news that the Justice Department will not be opening a civil rights investigation into the shooting death of Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol agent on Saturday, a departure from standard practice.
Instead, an investigation into the shooting will be handled internally by Border Patrol’s parent agency, Customs and Border Protection, which will reportedly probe whether Pretti’s killer violated agency policy.
Additionally, another Department of Homeland Security agency, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) — which is a part of ICE — is said to be investigating whether Pretti himself committed any crimes.
What’s the context? The Trump administration’s decision may be shocking, but it’s not surprising: After an ICE agent, Jonathan Ross, shot and killed Renee Good at close range earlier this month, the DOJ quashed a civil rights investigation into her death by the FBI. Instead, top DOJ officials pressed to investigate Good’s widow — a move which caused at least 10 DOJ prosecutors to resign in protest.
As my colleague Ian Millhiser has reported, it’s also difficult — though not necessarily impossible — for state courts to prosecute the federal officers who killed Good and Pretti.
Why does this matter? The set of facts around Pretti’s death, captured on video for the world to see, is horrifying: He was gunned down by federal agents who, after beating him to his knees, fired at least 10 shots within seconds. When he was killed, he was attempting to protect a woman who had been pepper-sprayed by the same federal agents moments ago.
But under the Trump administration, there’s little reason to believe there will be any accountability for his death: In 16 shootings by federal immigration agents since last summer, none have resulted in criminal charges against the agents, or even any known disciplinary measures.
And with that, it’s time to log off…
Every day when I start drafting this newsletter, I have a placeholder in this section that just reads “Something good!” That can feel daunting in the face of everything going on in the world, but I think it’s worth trying anyway. So here are two things to log off with:
- If you’re grappling with how to deal with the news of the last week, I recommend my colleague Sigal’s advice on how to think about Americans’ collective duty under authoritarianism.
- And if you’re simply ready to get off the internet for the day — completely understandable — I recommend this video of the Smithsonian Zoo pandas enjoying a snow day.
Take care of yourselves and we’ll see you back here tomorrow.