Opinion | Minnesota’s U.S. Attorney’s Office has been asked to do the wrong job

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Since the onset of the Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) surge, Minnesotans have gotten a crash course on what the U.S. Attorney’s Office does and why it is so important to the safety of our communities. As a longtime federal prosecutor who directed significant and long-term investigations, and who led the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota, I know it can be a driving force for justice and public safety.

The biggest and most important cases often require hundreds — if not thousands — of hours of time from federal prosecutors, paralegals and investigators. Whether they are investigations of large-scale fraud, counterterrorism efforts or gang prosecutions, these cases require huge investments of time and resources to ensure accountability and justice for the public.

Just two months into 2026, we have seen at least 14 attorneys from the criminal and civil divisions leave or announce they will be leaving the U.S. Attorney’s Office. There are many reasons reported for these departures, including an abrupt order to break with precedent and quash an investigation into the killing of Renee Good and moving resources away from fraud investigations and toward immigration cases. The result of this is a U.S. Attorney’s Office that is understaffed and unable to fulfill its mission.

The federal government’s ability to prosecute pressing and complex matters like gang violence, gun crime and fraud — the professed reason for the increased federal law enforcement presence — is now severely diminished.

It does not have to be this way.

And above all else, it has been a trusted partner of state and local law enforcement agencies across Minnesota and the United States.

As we take stock of the current landscape, it is difficult to assess what the U.S. Attorney’s Office will be able to do over the next several years. The recent departures represent decades of lost institutional knowledge. Coupled with the massive influx of wrongful detention cases it is handling, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is facing serious challenges to moving complex cases forward anytime soon. The current exodus should serve as a cautionary tale of what happens when political objectives take priority over public safety needs.

To reverse the damage being done, the office must begin rebuilding trust with the public and law enforcement partners. Engaging Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) in a joint investigation into the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti is a necessary first step.

The weeks and months ahead will be critical for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. It is incumbent on its leadership to demonstrate that the office is capable of returning to its stated mission of maintaining the highest ethical standards and, at all times, pursuing justice.

It is not too late to right the ship. For the sake of safety, accountability and stability in Minnesota, we all have a stake in seeing the U.S. Attorney’s Office return to its roots and replenish its ranks with attorneys of integrity and experience.