Harmeet Dhillon, now leading the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice, refused to open a division-led probe into an ICE agent involved in a Minneapolis shooting, and several senior career prosecutors reportedly resigned in protest. The departures spotlight internal clashes over priorities at the DOJ, questions about how law enforcement interactions with anti-ICE activists are handled, and who gets to decide when federal civil rights prosecutors should intervene. The FBI has taken the lead on the Minneapolis inquiry, and Dhillon has publicly framed her approach as a rejection of politically driven prosecutions. What follows unpacks the reported resignations, the facts circulating about the incident, and Dhillon’s stated philosophy for enforcing civil rights law.
A group of senior attorneys in the Civil Rights Division reportedly resigned after Dhillon declined to open a division investigation into the ICE officer who shot Renee Nicole Good during a January 7 encounter in Minneapolis. The exits were described as a reaction to her decision not to dispatch a DOJ team to lead an inquiry into the officer’s actions. Those who left were characterized in coverage as career prosecutors who wanted the division to take charge of the case.
Video footage that surfaced after the shooting shows a chaotic scene in which Good and an associate interfered with ICE operations, and reports indicate Good drove her SUV in a manner that endangered the officer. Coverage has also linked her to “ICE-Watch” activism and suggested the group had tactics that endangered agents, including the use of vehicles against law enforcement. These facts have been cited by officials defending the ICE agent’s split-second response.
Despite pressure from inside the Civil Rights Division to pursue a formal civil rights investigation, Dhillon stood firm in refusing to authorize a division-led probe, telling staff the division would not be the ones to take over the matter. The group of prosecutors were reportedly informed late last week that the Civil Rights Division would not play a role in the case. After that decision, several top leaders in the criminal section resigned rather than continue under the new guidance.
Prosecutors in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division were told they will not play a role in the ongoing investigation into a fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis by a federal immigration officer, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
The departures included the chief of the section, the principal deputy chief, the deputy chief, and the acting deputy chief, according to reports. Observers note this is one of the more significant waves of resignations in recent DOJ memory, and critics argue it reflects a broader clash between a longstanding bureau-oriented legal culture and the new leadership’s priorities. Supporters of Dhillon, however, say the turnover clears the way for a Civil Rights Division focused on law, not politics.
At the same time, federal investigators outside the Civil Rights Division are already handling the Minneapolis matter. The FBI has taken the lead on the investigation, which sidelined state authorities in the immediate aftermath. That handoff means the Civil Rights Division’s choice not to open a parallel probe does not halt scrutiny of what happened; it simply keeps the primary investigative role with law enforcement agencies rather than the division’s prosecutors.
Dhillon has been outspoken about her approach since taking charge, signaling she will not permit the division to be used as a vehicle for politically motivated prosecutions. She said “it’s fine” to see people depart who view their roles as personal crusades rather than neutral law enforcers. “We don’t want people in the federal government who feel like it’s their pet project to go persecute police department based on statistical evidence or persecute people praying outside abortion facilities instead of doing violence,” she added.
She later reiterated the division’s purpose in blunt terms, saying, “The job here is to enforce the federal civil rights laws — not woke ideology.” That line has become a rallying point for those who argue the DOJ should prioritize neutral enforcement over agenda-driven cases. Critics of the resignations argue the move could hollow out institutional expertise, while allies say it removes officials who would impose a political lens on civil rights enforcement.
Public debate over the Minneapolis shooting and the division’s internal turmoil shows how law enforcement decisions intersect with politics and public opinion. Many citizens and activists will keep watching how the FBI’s investigation unfolds and whether federal prosecutors outside the Civil Rights Division decide to bring charges. For now, Dhillon has drawn a line at using the Civil Rights Division as the front line for such matters, and several senior staff apparently chose resignation over adapting to that direction.
The departures – including that of the chief of the section, as well as the principal deputy chief, deputy chief and acting deputy chief – represent the most significant mass resignation at the Justice Department since February. At that time, five leaders and supervisors of the department’s Public Integrity Section, which investigates public officials for possible corruption, resigned rather than comply with an appointee of President Donald Trump’s orders to dismiss the bribery case against then-New York mayor Eric Adams.
Editor’s Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives.
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