The Department of Justice charged 15 anti-ICE militants allegedly tied to Antifa groups in Minnesota with conspiracy to impede federal officers and violent obstruction of immigration enforcement.
Minnesota U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen announced the charges Tuesday, confirming that 13 of the 15 defendants are already in custody. The charges include interfering with federal agents, stalking, assault, and threatening officers.
“Such stalking and other direct actions against law enforcement are criminal. They’re un-American, and they’ll be met with swift justice. To those who choose to threaten or harm federal officers, we will hold you accountable.”
Rosen accused the militants of training members in the “aggressive use of shields against law enforcement, surveillance, operational planning, and rapid mobilization against law enforcement actions.”
All defendants were allegedly associated with Direct Action Minnesota (DAMN), previously known as Twin Cities Direct Action. The unsealed indictment describes DAMN as “dedicated and committed to direct action against federal law and immigration enforcement,” using “disruptive and obstructive tactics” to “forcibly challenge, block, or stop immigration raids, detentions, and deportations.”
The indictment identifies DAMN as made up of “sub-groups” including the Black Cat Worker’s Collective — whose members “advocate, promote, and utilize militant tactics and violence” — and the Ray Rainbolt Memorial Shooting Club, which promotes “community self-defense.” Both are identified as “Antifa affinity groups” based in Minneapolis.
DAMN members allegedly used a Signal group chat that logs identifying information of federal immigration enforcement vehicles, enabling them to track officers throughout the city and place militants in their path.
Once someone relays information about a federal immigration or law enforcement officer’s location, “dispatchers” relay “verified” information to “commuters,” who deploy to the identified area to interfere with, prevent, hinder, delay, impede, and directly confront federal immigration enforcement, including “de-arresting” people that federal law enforcement have arrested.
The indictment details how “commuters” follow federal immigration enforcement officers from locations to the officers’ residences and other locations, often working with “co-pilots” who communicate with dispatchers in real-time.
The charges remain allegations. The case has not been proven in court.
The indictments follow the far left’s violent response to Operation Metro Surge, the mass deportation operation in the Twin Cities over the winter, where federal officers were met with militants acting to thwart lawful operations and Democrat politicians who encouraged violence against them.
