By JAKE OFFENHARTZ and MARK VANCLEAVE Associated Press
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Federal prosecutors have charged 15 people with impeding the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota, accusing them of conspiring against the federal government through a range of actions intended to block arrests and deportations.
During a news conference Tuesday, Minnesota U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen said the defendants “violently opposed the enforcement of federal law” by setting up blockades around government buildings, throwing chunks of ice at federal vehicles and “stalking” agents as they moved through Minneapolis.
He said the defendants were part of two groups that he characterized as “antifa,” an umbrella term for a diffuse movement of militant left-wing activists.
Defense attorney Kevin Riach said his client, Isaac Sant, had no affiliation with antifa, which he called “a boogeyman invented by the far-right.”
“The purpose is to intimidate people who came out to observe and protest ICE’s numerous violations of the law,” Riach added. “It’s an affront to the First Amendment.”
President Donald Trump declared last September that he would label “antifa” a domestic terrorist group, urging federal agencies to “investigate, disrupt and dismantle” its members and affiliates.
In March, eight people accused of having ties to antifa were convicted on terrorism charges in a Texas shooting, a first of its kind case that raised concerns among some civil liberties groups.
Asked about the Justice Department’s definition of “antifa,” Rosen said the question was “beyond the scope” of the indictment, but noted that several defendants had self-identified with the term.
The 15 people charged Tuesday were part of “Direct Action Minnesota,” a left-wing coalition of protest groups that trains its members in the “surveillance, operational planning and rapid mobilization against law enforcement,” Rosen said.
The alleged conspiracy began in January, shortly after the Trump administration launched its sweeping immigration crackdown, dubbed Operation Metro Surge, in response to reports of fraud within Minnesota’s Somali community.
The operation — described by the Department of Homeland Security as the largest in its history — brought thousands of federal agents, who often wore masks and traveled in unmarked SUVs, into the Twin Cities and surrounding areas.
Their arrival drew fierce protests from Minnesota residents, who quickly set up a sprawling network of anonymous Signal chats to track the movement of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Protesters then used whistles and car horns to draw attention to detentions as they were happening.
The indictment cites Signal communications between some defendants, who allegedly discussed setting up trailers to block federal vehicles and handing out plastic shields to demonstrators. Rosen declined to say whether any federal agents were injured as a result.
One of the defendants, Kyle Wagner, 37, was previously arrested on charges that he made online threats against ICE officers and their supporters. An attorney listed for Wagner in that case did not respond to a message seeking comment.
Each of the defendants was charged with conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer, which carries a maximum sentence of six years in prison. Three others faced additional charges, including interstate stalking, assault on a federal officer and destruction of government property.
Riach said his client and several other defendants made their initial appearance in federal court in St. Paul on Tuesday afternoon and were released without bail.
Outside the courthouse, dozens of protesters clashed with federal agents, who at one point deployed pepper spray to push the crowd away from the door.
Federal prosecutors said Operation Metro Surge resulted in more than 4,000 arrests.
The administration framed the operation as a response to a burgeoning federal investigation into billions of dollars in fraud within Minnesota programs tied to Medicaid. Dozens of Somali immigrants have been convicted or implicated. Trump has called the state’s Somali population “garbage.”
Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey sought to defend the Somali population and condemned Trump for sending federal officers where they weren’t needed or wanted.
In the months since, federal authorities have sought to prosecute protesters they blame for violence, while state and local Minnesota officials have pursued assault charges against at least two federal officers. The agents who fatally shot two protesters, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, have not been charged.
Walz and Ellison did not immediately respond to email messages Tuesday seeking comment on the federal indictment.