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Federal prosecutors charged 15 individuals on Tuesday accused of conspiring to impede federal immigration officers during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota.
At a press conference in Minneapolis, U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen announced the charges and warned that additional arrests could follow as the investigation continues.
According to prosecutors, the defendants are linked to two Minneapolis-area groups associated with the antifa movement and allegedly coordinated efforts to interfere with “Operation Metro Surge,” a large-scale federal immigration enforcement initiative launched in the Twin Cities in late 2025.
Federal authorities allege the defendants employed multiple tactics to disrupt enforcement activities, including monitoring the movements of federal agents, alerting neighborhoods to impending operations, and using physical obstacles such as blocks of ice to slow government vehicles.
Twelve of the suspects were taken into custody Tuesday. Prosecutors said one defendant was already being held on unrelated federal charges, while two others remain at large.
Rosen emphasized that the investigation remains ongoing.
“If you are actively conspiring to impede law enforcement you ought to go on the assumption that we’re watching, and we’ll get you,” he said.
The enforcement operation drew national attention after two individuals, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were fatally shot during encounters with federal agents, triggering protests and renewed debate over immigration enforcement tactics.
The case represents the latest development in a broader federal campaign targeting individuals accused of obstructing immigration operations. Earlier this year, federal prosecutors secured convictions connected to anti-ICE demonstrations in Texas and Washington state, while related conspiracy investigations have been pursued in Illinois and Minnesota.
The charges also coincide with the administration’s heightened focus on antifa-related activity following President Donald Trump’s September executive order directing federal agencies to investigate and disrupt organizations and individuals linked to the movement.