Feds charge 15 Minnesotans with conspiracy to impede federal immigration officers

MINNEAPOLIS (CN) — The Justice Department on Tuesday announced charges against 15 people tied to a pair of Minnesota-based “antifa” groups that prosecutors say “violently oppose immigration law enforcement.”

According to Minnesota U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen, the defendants face charges of conspiracy to impede or injure federal officers. Federal prosecutors claim the group engaged in coordinated efforts to disrupt federal operations during Operation Metro Surge in the Twin Cities.

“Today’s charges and arrests reflect a broad federal effort to address organized lawless behavior, which seeks to disrupt the execution of federal law, endanger law enforcement and importantly, endanger the very communities that these defendants falsely claim to be protecting,” Rosen said in a press conference.

The Justice Department claims these individuals infiltrated lawful protests in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area to carry out direct, unlawful actions specifically targeting federal agents — including the establishment of physical blockades on Jan. 23 and March 1 this year.

These blockades, Rosen said, consisted of overturned RVs, anti-tank obstacles and the use of blocks of ice to halt or delay law enforcement operations at the Bishop Henry Whipple Building south of Minneapolis.

Rosen also noted these groups used “soft blockades” consisting of members holding homemade shields made of plastic, wood and metal to slow down law enforcement.

Federal prosecutors are specifically targeting the group Direct Action Minnesota and its subgroups, including the Black Cat Workers Collective, whose members took part in the blockades, according to Rosen.

At the press conference, Rosen presented Facebook and Instagram posts showcasing what his office believes to be defendants’ intent to commit violent acts against federal agents.

Among the highlighted evidence was a video from 37-year-old Kyle Wagner, who stated “we’re not talking about peaceful protests anymore” before instructing followers to arm themselves against “Nazi gunmen that are killing innocent people in the street.”

Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Michael McCarthy said Wagner, along with the other individuals whose indictments were unsealed Tuesday, far exceeded the boundaries of protected speech.

“Peaceful protest is a protected right, and a cornerstone of our democracy,” McCarthy said in the press conference. “When protest turns into rioting, violence and unlawful activity, it becomes unlawful and it will not be tolerated.”

McCarthy said today’s announcement comes after a monthslong investigation that uncovered extensive planning regarding a coordinated attack against federal officers and facilities.

The announcement sparked immediate backlash, drawing dozens of protesters to the Warren E. Burger federal building in St. Paul, Minnesota, where the defendants made their initial court appearances Tuesday afternoon.

Reports indicate law enforcement deployed chemical irritants and flash bangs against the protesters as they attempted to enter the courthouse through a secured entrance.

Homeland Security agents have arrested 12 of the 15 defendants, according to Rosen. One other is currently in custody for other charges while two remain fugitives, though Rosen said he expects them to surrender to authorities shortly.

These arrests come amid heightened federal scrutiny of anti-fascist groups. In September 2025, President Trump designated antifa as a domestic terrorist organization in an executive order, defining the group as a “militarist, anarchist enterprise that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government.”

Rosen, who refused to define “antifa” at the press conference, said many of the defendants self-identify under that label and organized to oppose the massive immigration enforcement surge in the Twin Cities brought by the Trump administration earlier this year.

Throughout this monthslong surge, federal agents shot and killed two Twin Cities residents and repeatedly clashed with protestors both outside federal buildings and on the streets where enforcement was underway.

Rosen said in Tuesday’s press conference investigations are still underway into the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in January.

So far, two ICE agents have been charged by state prosecutors with claimed unlawful actions during the surge, including pulling a gun on two residents on the highway and shooting a Venezuelan man in the leg.

The surge has sparked numerous civil rights lawsuits against federal immigration agents and the Trump administration and saw widespread protests and distrust of the federal government across Minnesota.

Prosecutors said Tuesday the defendants infiltrated these widespread protests with the intent to escalate them and cause harm to federal agents.

“To those who choose to threaten or harm federal officers, we will hold you accountable,” Rosen said in the press conference. “We will defend federal officers, we will protect the public, we will enforce the law.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has dropped many cases brought against protesters over assaulting or impeding federal immigration agents throughout Operation Metro Surge — though Rosen noted the charges announced Tuesday far differ from those other cases.