Federal prosecutors charge 15 ‘antifa’ members over anti-ICE protests in Minnesota

Federal prosecutors charged several people with alleged ties to so-called “antifa groups” and claimed they sought to “violently oppose” law enforcement during anti-ICE protests in Minnesota.Fifteen people have been charged with “conspiracy to impede or injure federal officers” and other alleged offenses related to “efforts of two Minneapolis-based antifa groups that violently oppose the enforcement of federal law in our state,” according to Daniel Rosen, the U.S.

Attorney for the District of Minnesota.Antifa, which stands for “anti-fascist,” describes a decentralized and ideologically driven movement against fascism. President Donald Trump signed an executive order last year designating antifa as a “domestic terrorist organization.”

The defendants had ties to Direct Action Minnesota, a group comprised of several organizations, including the “Black Cat Workers Collective,” Rosen told reporters Tuesday. Most of those charged are now in custody, but two remain “at large,” he added. Homeland Security Investigations agents arrested 12 people Tuesday morning, while one person was already in custody on separate charges.

“These defendants have been charged not for what they said, but for what they did. They all joined an agreement, a conspiracy to interfere with lawful immigration enforcement operations. The conspiracy was not to interfere by their voice, but to do it by force,” Rosen said.

open image in galleryThe Justice Department has announced charges against 15 people accused of working to ‘violently oppose’ law enforcement during anti-ICE protests in Minnesota earlier this year (AFP via Getty Images)Minnesota 50501, a progressive grassroots group that has helped coordinate No Kings rallies and other major events, condemned the indictments."They are a move from a weak, flailing regime, trying desperately to appear strong and cling to power. The absurdity that they are arresting people for blowing whistles and observing law enforcement while the murderers of Renee Good and Alex Pretti and the ICE agents who brutalized us and kidnapped our neighbors walk free is not lost on us,” Minnesota 50501 Chair Drew Harmon told Newsweek.

According to Rosen, the charges stem from two incidents: one on January 23 and another on March 1. He alleged Direct Action Minnesota “deployed what they called hard and soft blockades against federal law enforcement” and “shut down operations at the federal Whipple Building,” which serves as a regional hub for several government agencies.“During Operation Metro Surge, Direct Action Minnesota infiltrated and exploited lawful protests to more efficiently carry out its unlawful direct actions, targeting operations involving ICE, as well as other federal law enforcement and other state law enforcement,” he added.

The defendants have been identified in court records as Isaac Auman Sant; Emmett James Doyle; Cameron Kennedy; Callum Robinet; Erik Davis; Brian Stillwell Apland; Kyle Wagner; Hannah Margaret Van De Water Davis; Treasure Cay Thoreson; Nathan Junho Kim; Alec Stewart; Douglas Misterek; Dustin Scott Beisell; William Morgan; and Natasha Rakotz. open image in galleryRenee Good and Alex Pretti were fatally shot by federal agents in separate incidents in Minneapolis earlier this year (AFP/Getty)The Department of Homeland Security launched Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota at the end of last year, as part of the Trump administration’s hardline immigration crackdown. During that operation, federal agents killed two American citizens — Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother and poet, and Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse — in separate incidents that occurred just weeks apart.

Their killings sparked nationwide protests and unrest. In the immediate aftermath of both shootings, Trump administration officials accused Good and Pretti of committing “domestic terrorism,” sparking criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.When asked about Good and Pretti, Rosen said investigations into the shootings are “ongoing,” and that they will “proceed to their completion at the proper pace and at the proper time.”

The Independent was unable to contact Direct Action Minnesota for comment. It remains unclear whether any of the defendants have attorneys who can speak on their behalf.