Federal prosectors charge 15 anti-ICE demonstrators in Minnesota
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U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen in May. Photo: David Berding/Getty Images
Federal prosecutors have charged 15 Minnesotans with what they described as a conspiracy to violently oppose immigration enforcement during last winter's Operation Metro Surge.
What they're saying: "The conspiracy was not to interfere by their voice, but to do it by force. That's a crime, and it will not be tolerated in the United States," U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Daniel Rosen said at a press conference.
Why it matters: White House officials repeatedly claimed during the surge that protesters were attacking and obstructing federal agents, and these new charges are the administration's latest attempt to punish what it deemed "Antifa" members.
The other side: Protesters outside the federal courthouse called the charges a "naked political attack" by President Trump, according to Sahan Journal.
- "They charge without sufficient evidence, they have brought cases on false testimony and they've been forced to drop cases already," said Anna Hall, a criminal defense attorney and member of the National Lawyers Guild.
Details: The charges include conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer, solicitation to commit a crime of violence, interstate threats, interstate stalking, assault on a federal officer, and destruction of government property.
- Rosen said 12 of the 15 were arrested Tuesday morning, one was in custody and two were at large.
What's inside: The indictment alleges the defendants were part of a group or subgroups of Direct Action Minnesota and used Signal chats to coordinate with "commuters" to follow agents and interfere with immigration arrests and operations.
Between the lines: Thousands of Minnesotans used encrypted messaging platforms to coordinate highly organized efforts to track agents' movements at the height of the surge, when thousands of officers descended on the state.
- "ICE watch" observer trainings emphasized that these "commuters" were only there to record, not to interfere with agents, but Tuesday's charges allege some demonstrators went beyond that.
Rosen showed an Instagram video by defendant Kyle Wagner after the killing of Alex Pretti. He's wearing a bulletproof vest and urges his followers to go to 26th and Nicollet Avenue.
- "Get your (expletive) guns and stop these (expletive) people.
Asked if there's any evidence that Wagner or his followers were bringing weapons to the scene, Rosen said the evidence would "roll out" during the prosecution.
- Rosen was also asked if federal agents were injured by any of the defendants. He noted that they turned over law enforcement vehicles and threw ice at the vehicles.
- "Whether or not they actually, at the end of the day, caused bodily harm is not the measure of whether or not they committed a serious federal crime," Rosen said.
- One of the defendants complained that the thousands of protestors in Minnesota last winter were too peaceful, according to the charges.
Reality check: A recent Star Tribune analysis found that of the 36 people federally charged with violently assaulting federal officers during the surge, more than a third of them had their charges dismissed.
Rosen expressed confidence in the latest charges.
- "Read the indictment, and you'll understand the full magnitude of this case."