The Department of Homeland Security said an HSI investigation led to arrests and indictments tied to confrontations with immigration officers in Minnesota; all 15 face charges that have not been proven in court
The Department of Homeland Security said an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations led to the arrest and indictment of 15 people accused of involvement in violence against ICE officers in Minnesota.
According to DHS, HSI served two criminal search warrants and arrested the 15 individuals, all of whom are charged with conspiracy to impede or injure an officer. The agency said some face additional charges including solicitation to commit a crime of violence, interstate threats, interstate stalking, destruction of government property, and assaulting or impeding federal officers. DHS described some of those arrested as affiliated with Antifa, a label the agency applied in its announcement. The charges are allegations that have not been tested in court, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until convicted.
“The arrests of these 15 rioters is a win for law and order. If you lay a hand on law enforcement, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement, adding that the department has zero tolerance for violence against law enforcement.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the defendants, who he said included members of Antifa groups, allegedly engaged in a campaign of harassment and violence targeting federal and local law enforcement. “As alleged, these defendants… engaged in an unrelenting campaign of harassment and violence,” Blanche said, describing the arrests as part of the Department’s effort to stop organized political violence. He, too, framed the conduct as alleged.
DHS said the arrests come amid what it described as a coordinated campaign of violence against its officers, citing sharp percentage increases in assaults, vehicle attacks, and death threats. The agency did not provide a baseline, time period, or source for those figures.
