By Cindy Von Quednow

(CNN) — More than a dozen incidents involving federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, including top Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino, are being investigated to determine whether any laws were broken during Operation Metro Surge, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced Monday.

The investigation, dubbed the Transparency and Accountability Project, is being conducted by county prosecutors and a civilian staffer, who are collecting evidence submitted by the public, county officials said.

As part of the investigation, a new portal was created for residents to share images and descriptions of incidents involving unlawful conduct by federal agents.

“We will investigate and pursue charging where appropriate, and we’ll seek collaboration with local law enforcement wherever and whenever needed,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a news release. “Make no mistake, we are not afraid of any legal fight. But we will do this ethically, responsibly, and vigorously.”

CNN has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.

So far, the county attorney’s office team is investigating 17 incidents that were brought to their attention by the community, including a January encounter where Bovino was seen deploying a chemical agent into a crowd of protesters, Moriarty said.

After the incident involving Bovino, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Border Patrol agents were in the area as part of a targeted enforcement operation when they were “repeatedly harassed and blocked by hostile crowds while simply trying to take bathroom breaks.”

Federal immigration agents descended on Minneapolis and St. Paul during Operation Metro Surge, leading to months of clashes between officers and protesters. The crackdown was targeting the “worst of the worst” of undocumented immigrants in Minneapolis.

During the operation, the community suffered “immeasurable harm,” Moriarty said Monday in reference to Renee Good and Alex Pretti, US citizens who were fatally shot by agents in separate incidents that were widely caught on camera and spurred more tense protests.

On February 12, White House border czar Tom Homan, who took over the operation from Bovino, announced Operation Metro Surge would end.

At its peak, about 3,000 immigration officers surged into the area, and DHS has said its officers arrested thousands of “criminal illegal aliens” during the crackdown.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office is currently in court fighting with the federal government for access to evidence from the Pretti shooting.

The attorney’s office opened a similar evidence portal in the investigation over Pretti’s death that has since been closed, Moriarty said.

“There are many victims whose stories need to be told,” she said.

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