15 charged – The Justice Department charged 15 people for allegedly conspiring to use “hard blockades” and “soft blockades” to impede ICE enforcement in Minnesota between January and June 2026, as tensions escalated after fatal shootings and community backlash. During the
For weeks, the fight over immigration enforcement in Minneapolis has played out in streets, arguments and fear. On June 16. it shifted into a courtroom posture when the Justice Department announced criminal charges against 15 people accused of trying to stop law enforcement officers from carrying out the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota.
The alleged conduct took place between about January and June of 2026. At a press conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen tied the conspiracy to efforts by two Minneapolis-based antifa groups that he said “violently opposed law enforcement. ” framing the case around actions. not statements.
Rosen said the defendants were “charged not for what they said, but for what they did.” He added that the group “joined an agreement, a conspiracy, to interfere with lawful immigration enforcement operations,” and that “the conspiracy was not to interfere by their voice, but to do it by force.”
“Antifa” is a collective term for an assortment of groups in an anti-fascist movement. President Donald Trump designated “Antifa” as a major terrorist organization in September, according to the press conference remarks.
The indictment unsealed on June 16 described attempts to halt immigration enforcement operations through both “hard blockades” and “soft blockades.” Rosen said those tactics included wood. leaf blowers and vehicles to impede officer movement. as well as “soft blockades” such as homemade shields designed to resist officers and wedge between them.
One defendant named in the charges. Kyle Wagner. faces an additional allegation: he is charged with soliciting another person to commit a crime of violence. During the briefing, Rosen played a video he said showed Wagner. In the recording, a man identifies himself as Kyle, says he is antifa, and describes a mounting sense of rage.
“My name is Kyle, I’m antifa, and there’s so much rage in me that I’ve had to record this, like, 15 times, trying to get the message out,” the man says in the video.
The video speaker also draws a line between what he frames as an end to polite protest and a shift toward direct confrontation. “Not talking about peaceful protests anymore. We’re not talking about having polite conversations anymore,” the man says, speaking specifically to his followers.
“Get your f—— guns and stop these f—— people,” he adds.
Lawyers for the defendants were not immediately identifiable.
The announcement landed as the Trump administration moved to close out parts of Minnesota’s immigration operations. Border Czar Tom Homan said the administration was ending Minnesota’s immigration operation after fatal shootings heightened tension and triggered community backlash.
Taken together, the timeline points to a hardening of the response: fatal shootings and backlash followed by an enforcement shake-up in Minnesota, and then criminal charges alleging that blockades were used to physically impede officers during the crackdown window from about January to June 2026.
Where the case goes next will depend on how the court handles the indictment and any motions that follow. For now. the government’s message is direct—Rosen said the defendants’ alleged intent was to interfere with lawful immigration enforcement “by force. ” and the charges spell out how prosecutors say that force was carried out.
Minneapolis antifa ICE immigration crackdown Justice Department criminal charges Daniel Rosen Kyle Wagner blockades Minnesota immigration operation Tom Homan