Fifteen Minneapolis protesters charged with conspiracy for resisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations have pleaded not guilty and say they will not be deterred. The group, known as the “Minnesota 15”, is linked through Direct Action MN, a loose collective that provided community defence during an ICE surge earlier this year.
The 94-page indictment accuses the defendants of coordinating with rapid response groups to alert people to ICE agents and organising blockades at the city’s ICE headquarters. Prosecutors have described the group as affiliated with “antifa”, which the Trump administration designated a domestic terrorist organisation last autumn. Among those charged are teachers, nurses and electricians, according to Kelly Petersen, a Minneapolis organiser.
The case is the latest attempt by the Department of Justice to criminalise resistance, following similar charges in Chicago, Spokane and Prairieland, Texas. The Chicago case was dismissed for prosecutorial misconduct, while Spokane protesters were convicted and face up to six years in prison. In Prairieland, sentences ranged from 30 to 100 years. Legal experts say the Minneapolis case mirrors Prairieland in its use of conspiracy law to target so-called antifa and chill resistance.
The charges stem from actions during Operation Metro Surge in January, when nearly 4,000 federal agents conducted the largest immigration operation in US history. Residents formed watch groups to track ICE vehicles, but two people monitoring activity, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were shot and killed by federal agents. No one has been charged for their deaths.
Despite the threat of prison, defendants remain defiant. “They’re trying to stop us and silence us and scare us,” said Treasure Thoreson. “I’m not going to let them scare me.” Lead defendant Isaac Sant called the prosecution “naked political repression”. Organisers say the indictment will not stop them from standing up for immigrant neighbours.
