Fifteen people in Minnesota have been charged with conspiracy to impede or injure federal officers, following a controversial immigration enforcement operation earlier this year. The US attorney for Minnesota, Daniel Rosen, and Homeland Security Investigations special agent Michael McCarthy announced the charges at a press conference in Minneapolis on Tuesday.
Prosecutors allege the defendants were part of two Minneapolis-based ‘antifa’ groups—Direct Action Minnesota and Black Cat Worker’s Collective—that ‘violently oppose immigration law enforcement’. Twelve of those charged were arrested on Tuesday, one was already in custody, and two remain at large.
Chaotic scenes erupted outside the federal courthouse in Minneapolis as some defendants made their first appearance. Protesters clashed with federal agents, who deployed teargas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd. Earlier, dozens of people gathered to speak out against the charges, with signs reading ‘stop FBI entrapment’ and ‘protesting is not a crime’.
The charges come amid a mixed track record for federal prosecutors in cases related to the crackdown, known as ‘Operation Metro Surge’. Of 36 prior cases, 18 have been dropped, including one where a judge called a charging document a ‘false affidavit’. Rosen defended the new charges, saying ‘the evidence will prove it all out’.
The Trump administration sent thousands of immigration agents to Minnesota starting in late 2025, partly based on fraud allegations against Somali residents. The operation led to protests and the deaths of two people, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, killed by agents. No charges have been filed in those deaths, though Rosen said the killings remain under investigation.
