Minnesotans Demand 'Nuremberg-Style' Nazi Prosecution of Officials Tied to Deadly ICE Raids

Minnesotans and state lawmakers are calling for Nuremberg-style prosecutions of federal immigration agents after two US citizens were killed during enforcement operations in Minneapolis, prompting officials to begin formally logging evidence for potential future trials.

Governor Tim Walz has confirmed authorities are building an evidence log for future prosecution of officials involved in what critics are calling a 'campaign of organised brutality'.

The demand for Nuremberg-style trials has spread from social media forums to legislative chambers. University of Toronto professor Seva Gunitsky sparked widespread attention when he wrote on Bluesky that 'abolish ICE is the moderate position' and declared that 'whichever candidate promises to Nuremberg the ICE agents has my vote at this point', according to Fox News.

The Nuremberg reference invokes the post-World War II trials where Nazi leaders faced prosecution for crimes against humanity. Twelve defendants were hanged following those proceedings.

State Lawmaker Predicts 'Same Position as Nazi Germany'

New Jersey Assemblyman Edward Timberlake made the comparison explicit during a committee hearing on anti-ICE legislation. 'I do believe and look for a day in the future where history will speak for itself, and that those who are carrying out these illegal acts will find themselves in the same position as those who carried out the illegal acts in Nazi Germany through the Nuremberg trials', he said, per the New Jersey Monitor.

Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin called the language 'gross'. Timberlake responded: 'If they want to stop parallels to the Gestapo and Nazi Germany, then they should stop behaving that way.'

Two Citizens Dead in Three Weeks

Operation Metro Surge has transformed Minneapolis into what state officials describe as an occupied city. Roughly 3,000 federal agents have flooded the Twin Cities since December 2025 in what DHS calls 'the largest immigration operation ever carried out', according to NPR.

On 7 January, ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother who had just dropped her child at school. Video analysis suggested Good was steering away from officers, not towards them, contradicting federal claims she tried to run them over.

On 24 January, Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Bystander footage showed Pretti holding only his phone before roughly six officers tackled him face down. He was shot in the back.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara noted that his department went all of 2025 without officers firing a shot. 'There had only been three homicides in Minneapolis in 2026 so far', he said, 'and two of those were carried out by federal immigration enforcement agents.'

Governor Confirms Evidence Log for Future Prosecution

Walz has confirmed the state is systematically documenting federal agents' actions. 'Minnesota's justice system will have the last word. It must have the last word', he said after Pretti's death, Fox 9 reported. 'Minnesotans are witnessing, creating a log of evidence for future prosecution of ICE agents and officials.'

The strategy mirrors calls online for comprehensive accountability when political circumstances change. 'Jeopardy!' host Ken Jennings captured the sentiment in a widely shared post: 'The prosecute the former regime at every level candidate has my vote in 2028.'

Tens of thousands marched through Minneapolis on 23 January in subzero temperatures, demanding that federal agents leave. Over a thousand labour unions endorsed the general strike, including the Minnesota AFL-CIO. Businesses reported revenue drops of 50 to 80 per cent as residents feared leaving their homes, according to city officials.

The Justice Department has refused to investigate either killing. More than a dozen federal prosecutors in Minneapolis and Washington resigned in protest. Attorney General Keith Ellison's response was blunt: 'Trump's DOJ is more focused on investigating my office than the killing of Renee Good.'

President Trump announced on Monday that he is sending border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to manage operations. The controversial Gregory Bovino, who commanded the surge, is expected to leave the state.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has made his position clear. 'Get the f*** out of Minneapolis', he told ICE after Good's death.