MINNEAPOLIS — The Trump administration charged 15 Minneapolis protesters with conspiracy for allegedly resisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. The group, known as the "Minnesota 15," includes Emmett Doyle, who pleaded not guilty to the conspiracy charges.

The 94-page indictment states the charges stem from coordinating with rapid response groups to alert people to ICE agents and organizing blockades at the city's ICE headquarters. Prosecutors characterized the group as affiliated with "antifa," and the indictment calls the group "antifa," claiming the conspiracy was carried out using "force, intimidation, and threats." The U.S. government claims Doyle is an "antifa" domestic terrorist.

The "Minnesota 15" is primarily linked through Direct Action MN, a group of Twin Cities residents that provided community defense during ICE operations. In the previous fall, the Trump administration designated "antifa" a domestic terror organization. The administration released a memo three days after the designation directing the FBI's joint terrorism taskforce to target "violent and terroristic activities under the umbrella of self-described 'anti-fascism'."

Isaac Sant, identified as the lead defendant in the Minneapolis case, stated, "This is naked political repression, part of a nationwide trend." Another defendant, Kyle Wagner, self-identifies as antifa. The principal conspiracy charge in the case carries a maximum sentence of six years.

Minneapolis lawyer Jordan Kushner represents some of the Minnesota 15 defendants. Kushner said, "There was no violence committed." He also noted, "The allegations here are much lower level than the most serious allegations in Prairieland."

In Prairieland, Texas, protesters received sentences ranging from 30 to 100 years. Federal evidence in the Prairieland case included owning a "printing press" and distributing political zines. Judges in that case gave defendants the maximum sentences. The protester who shot an officer was sentenced to 100 years, while others who left before the shooting received 50-year sentences.

In January, nearly 4,000 immigration agents deployed to the Twin Cities for Operation Metro Surge, described as the largest immigration operation in national history. During this operation, ICE agents pulled people from cars, forcefully entered homes, and repeatedly teargassed observers. Renee Good and Alex Pretti were shot and killed by federal agents; no one has been charged for their deaths.