Ten complaints have now been filed by Minnesotans who allege they were abused by Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Operation Metro Surge.
Matt Allen is among those suing. He is better known as local musician Nur-D
"I was shot in the back with projectiles, masked men tackled me to the ground, had slurs and insults spat at me, acid sprayed on my face," Allen explained.
Attorneys say filing charges is difficult since many agents covered their faces.
It is my hope, alongside with the brave people of this community, that these lawsuits don't only bring about much-needed consequences but also show that justice can be found here," Allen added.
While just 10 complaints have been filed, attorneys add they're evaluating another 70 claims for possible lawsuits.
That means there likely will be more suits coming, according to civil rights attorney John Burris who represents the plaintiffs.
“We have many others that are under investigation that have not completed the process. But I thought it was important for us to start this process now. Put the government on notice that we’re here,” Burris said.
Burris, who specializes in police misconduct, helped win an $11 million settlement against the Oakland Police Department in 2003, and helped win a civil jury verdict of $3.8 million for the late motorist Rodney King, who was beaten by Los Angeles police officers in 1991.
"So when you see people being pulled out of their cars, windows being broken, only for protesting of women dragged in the streets, you have to say what kind of human being would do that," asked Burris.
A Minneapolis woman who confronted federal immigration officers alongside Alex Pretti in January was among a group of potential litigants who spoke out Thursday about alleged excessive force against people protesting or monitoring the enforcement surge in Minnesota.
Georgia Savageford, who introduced herself as Wynnie at a news conference, said she was inside an officer's vehicle when she saw federal agents shoot Pretti.
“That day has changed me forever,” she said. "The trauma will haunt me for the rest of my life, and I will never be the same.”
Georgia Savageford recalls watching federal immigration officers fatally shoot Alex Pretti during a news conference Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Minneapolis.
(AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)
Savageford said she had been legally observing the actions of federal officers in Minneapolis ever since the shooting death of Renee Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on Jan. 7. She said she was doing so again on the morning of Jan. 24 when an agent pushed her twice and caused her to fall.
“As I was going down, three agents proceeded to tackle me and drag me face-down into the middle of the street. They knelt on my back, twisted my arms and my legs to the ground, and handcuffed me. The cuffs were so tight I lost feeling in my hands, which resulted in temporary nerve damage,” she recounted.
Officials with the Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not immediately respond Thursday to emails seeking comment. Minnesota officials sued the Trump administration on Tuesday for access to evidence they say they need to independently investigate the killings.
Savageford said Pretti recorded video of her arrest and yelled at agents to leave her alone.
She said the officers put her in the back of a vehicle, from which she saw agents shoot and kill Pretti on the other side of the street.
"At that moment, I thought I was going to die too. I pleaded with the agents to understand why another life was taken, and to not take mine,” she said.
She added that they told her to shut up and to stop being hysterical. She said they then took her to an ICE holding facility where she was held for 12 hours in a cold cell without ready access to food, water or the bathroom until she was released without being charged.
"I did not know him, but I knew he had my back," she said of Pretti. “I know the kind of heart he had. One that loves and protects without limits.”
