Minnesota prisons say that federal agents are giving 'inaccurate information' about man they were seeking
BREAKING
The Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) has rebutted some of the claims made by Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino and other federal officials when Alex Pretti was shot.
Bovino has said that immigration enforcement agents were seeking Jose Huerta Chuma during their "targeted" operation, and that Chuma's criminal history includes domestic assault, intentional infliction of bodily harm and disorderly conduct.
The DOC in a statement says federal statements "have repeatedly included inaccurate information about Minnesota custody and criminal records", prompting them to review available records to determine whether Chuma had any connection to Minnesota state prison custody.
Per the statement, the Minnesota DOC says:
- The individual identified by federal officials has never been in Minnesota DOC custody
- DOC and court records show no felony commitments associated with this
- Public Minnesota court records reflect only misdemeanor-level traffic offenses from more than a decade ago
- The individual is not currently under DOC supervision.
The DOC adds that their records also indicate the Huerta was previously held in federal immigration custody in a local Minnesota jail in 2018, noting that this was during President Trump’s first administration.
"Any decisions regarding release from federal custody at that time would have been made by federal authorities. DOC has no information explaining why this individual was released," the statement says.
The DOC also pushed back on allegations that it does not cooperate with ICE to facilitate custody transfers for individuals subject to federal detainers.
"The inaccurate assertions of these high-level ICE officials are untrue, reckless, and contrary to longstanding practice," the DOC says.
Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, was killed by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis on Saturday.
www.bbc.co.uk