1 of 2 | Tens of thousands of people march through downtown Minneapolis on Jan. 30 as they protest the federal government's immigration enforcement surge. On Tuesday, federal prosecutors announced charges against 15 people it said “conspired to impede or injure federal officers” as part of direct action during the surge. File Photo by Craig Lassig/UPI | License Photo
June 16 (UPI) -- On Tuesday, federal prosecutors announced charges against 15 people in Minnesota they say "conspired to impede or injure federal officers" in connection with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement push in Minneapolis earlier this year.
A Department of Justice press release said the 15 are members or associates of Direct Action Minnesota. The charges included conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer, interstate stalking, interstate threats, solicitation to commit a crime of violence, assaults on federal officers and destruction of government property.
The prosecutors and other officials said those charged are left-wing antifa activists. "Antifa" is short for "anti-facist." Thirteen of those charged are in custody, while two remain at large.
The Trump administration's ICE surge in Minneapolis drew widespread protests and pushback, including volunteer "rapid response" and "ICE watch" patrols, The Washington Post reported. ICE agents killed two protestors, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, during the surge.
