An agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation who attempted to pursue a review into the actions of a federal immigration officer involved in the death of a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis earlier this month has stepped down from her position, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation.
The agent, Tracee Mergen, previously served as a supervisory official in the FBI’s Minneapolis field office. One source stated that she chose to resign after officials at FBI headquarters in Washington urged her to halt a civil rights review concerning the immigration officer, Jonathan Ross. Such reviews are commonly conducted following similar incidents to determine whether proper procedures were followed.
Ms. Mergen’s departure represents the latest development connected to the Justice Department’s response to the death of Renee Good, an unarmed woman and mother who died on January 7 while seated in her vehicle, a Honda Pilot, in Minneapolis. The handling of the case has drawn significant attention and controversy both locally and nationally.
In the days following the incident, several officials from the Trump administration publicly characterized Ms. Good as a security threat, claiming that she attempted to strike Mr. Ross with her vehicle. However, an independent analysis of video footage conducted by The New York Times found no evidence supporting the claim that the officer had been hit by the vehicle.
Despite these findings, senior officials within the Justice Department have stated repeatedly that they do not intend to move forward with the type of review typically undertaken in cases involving the use of force by federal officers. They have also declined to examine whether Mr. Ross’s actions met federal standards governing appropriate conduct.
In addition, federal authorities have not cooperated with Minnesota state or local prosecutors, a decision that has made it more difficult for those offices to consider launching their own inquiries into the incident.
Rather than permitting Ms. Mergen to coordinate with the U.S. attorney’s office in Minneapolis to review the officer’s conduct, the Justice Department instead redirected its focus toward Ms. Good and her partner, Becca Good. Officials began examining whether the two had any associations with left-leaning protest organizations in the Minneapolis area. This shift in direction led at least six senior prosecutors in the local U.S. attorney’s office to resign in protest.
Cindy Burnham, a spokesperson for the FBI’s Minneapolis office, declined to comment when asked about Ms. Mergen’s resignation.
Separately, the Justice Department has initiated an inquiry involving several elected Democratic officials in Minnesota. The investigation aims to determine whether these officials may have coordinated efforts to interfere with the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies within the state. As part of this effort, subpoenas were issued this week to the offices of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, among others.
At the same time, federal authorities have increased enforcement actions against individuals protesting the administration’s immigration agenda in Minnesota. On Thursday, prosecutors announced conspiracy charges against three people connected to a disruption of a church service in St. Paul. The demonstration was related to allegations that a pastor had ties to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Court documents stated that the individuals involved caused distress and disruption among church attendees. However, on Friday, two federal judges overseeing the case denied prosecutors’ requests to keep the defendants in custody while they await trial, allowing them to remain free under court supervision.
