Minneapolis, MN — A federal prosecution of 15 Minnesota anti-ICE activists is drawing growing opposition from labor unions and civil liberties advocates, who argue the government has turned protest-related allegations into an unusually broad conspiracy case.
Federal prosecutors accuse the group, known as the “Minneapolis 15,” of coordinating efforts to disrupt Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations during protests last winter. Alleged tactics included blocking access to a federal building, following agents in vehicles and, in one case, tracking an ICE employee to his home in Wisconsin.
Authorities have characterized the conduct as criminal interference rather than protected protest. However, prosecutors acknowledged at a June news conference that they could not identify injuries suffered by federal officers in connection with the alleged conspiracy.
The case has generated additional controversy after court filings revealed that undercover Homeland Security Investigations agents attended meetings involving unions and nonprofit organizations. Investigators also subpoenaed financial records from labor groups while examining possible “domestic terror financing.”
Those revelations have helped generate broader support for the defendants. Hundreds of union members marched in Minneapolis on Oct. 3 demanding that the charges be dropped, while several major labor organizations have publicly backed the defendants.
None of the 15 has accepted a plea agreement, and the allegations remain unproven in court.
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