Federal prosecutors charged 15 Minneapolis anti-ICE protesters with conspiracy in a 94-page indictment

What happened

On June 16, 2026, U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen and Homeland Security Investigations announced a 94-page federal indictment charging 15 members of Direct Action Minnesota with conspiracy to impede or injure federal officers. The charges arise from Operation Metro Surge, which began in January 2026 with roughly 4,000 federal immigration agents in the Twin Cities.

The indictment rests largely on Signal messages about meetings, “shield” and “de-arrest” trainings and blockade materials. It describes blockades of the Whipple Federal Building, ICE’s Minnesota headquarters. According to the Guardian, it describes the group as affiliated with “antifa,” in language defense lawyers read as groundwork for a terrorism sentencing enhancement. The main count carries up to six years.

Four defendants face added counts, including interstate stalking, assault on a federal officer and destruction of property. Twelve were in custody, one already jailed on earlier charges, and two were at large. On July 1, 14 defendants pleaded not guilty. Two residents monitoring agents, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were shot and killed by federal officers; no one has been charged in their deaths.

Who benefited

The Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security gained a prosecution that frames community opposition to immigration raids as organized criminal conspiracy. It is also a vehicle for applying the September 2025 “antifa” designation to ordinary protesters. ICE’s Minneapolis operations had drawn the most sustained resistance in the country.

Who wanted something

Trump designated “antifa” a domestic terror organization in September 2025 and ordered the FBI’s joint terrorism task forces to pursue “self-described anti-fascism.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota also charged 39 people over a protest at a church connected to an ICE official.

Who lost out

The 15 defendants face years in prison for conduct organizers say 100,000 others also engaged in. Organizers describe them as “teachers and nurses and electricians.” Minneapolis residents who joined watch networks now face the risk of conspiracy liability.

Why it matters

Conspiracy law requires only an agreement, and this case uses it to prosecute the act of organizing against federal agents. The “antifa” label could multiply sentences: in Prairieland, Texas, “antifa” material-support convictions brought sentences of 30 to 100 years.

Sources Minnesota ReformerU.S. District Court, D. Minn. (via DocumentCloud) (primary)Minnesota ReformerSahan JournalThe Guardian