Blocked Probe Prompts FBI Agent Resignation

By Staff, Agencies

Tracee Mergen, a supervisory agent in the FBI’s Minneapolis office, stepped down after reportedly being pressured to drop a civil-rights inquiry into Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] officer Jonathan Ross — the agent who fatally shot Renee Nicole Good on January 7.

Reports said Mergen quit after FBI leaders in Washington intervened, and her resignation came just days before another federal-agent fatal shooting in Minneapolis that has added to public outrage.

Renee Good was shot by ICE officer Ross as she tried to drive away, with videos disputing official self-defense claims; the Justice Department declined to open a probe, prompting criticism and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s [BCA] withdrawal amid allegations of a cover-up.

Six federal prosecutors resigned over efforts to investigate Good’s widow, not the ICE officer, as Mergen’s departure fueled claims of obstruction, protests in Minneapolis, and a broader debate over federal immigration enforcement and civil rights.

Earlier this month, at least six Minnesota federal prosecutors, including deputy Joe Thompson, resigned over Department of Justice [DOJ] efforts to target Renee Good’s widow instead of investigating the ICE officer who killed her.