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Federal officials on Tuesday said a grand jury indicted 15 Minnesotans “for conspiracy to impede or injure federal officers,” and for efforts to allegedly “violently oppose immigration law enforcement” during the surge of federal immigration officers in the state earlier this year.

Daniel Rosen, the U.S. attorney for Minnesota, told reporters the 15 were “charged not for what they said but what they did.”

Rosen, though, turned aside specific questions connected to the alleged conspiracy, saying repeatedly that evidence would roll out later. 

Asked, for instance, whether there were specific incidents where law enforcement officers were injured by the conspiracy, Rosen said he couldn’t elaborate. Asked about other details, he said, “We’ll let the indictment stand on its own.”

The government’s track record around charges connected to the federal immigration surge has been spotty so far. In December and January, federal prosecutors charged 36 people, mostly protesters, with assaulting or impeding federal immigration agents. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, however, has dropped 18 of the 36 cases entirely, including three with prejudice meaning they can’t file them again. Another 11 cases have been effectively dropped through non-prosecution agreements. 

At a hearing in April, Magistrate Judge David Schultz called one charging document from this series a “false affidavit.”

Asked about that track record Tuesday and how the public could be assured the new indictments are legally sound, Rosen said, “You watch how the case plays out. You watch how the evidence plays out, and the evidence will prove it all out.”

The lead charge is conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer. Those charged are accused of actions including coordinating Signal chats and rapid-response networks to track federal immigration officers, organizing blockades around the Whipple Federal Building, conducting surveillance about immigration enforcement activities, and raising money. 

While prosecutors say someone in a crowd of protesters threw large ice chunks at law enforcement vehicles, the indictment does not specifically identify which defendant allegedly threw them.

Prosecutors have identified a few people they say coordinated actions to obstruct federal immigration enforcement operations. They say Isaac Auman Sant helped coordinate planning meetings, monitored federal law enforcement activity and recruited supporters. 

They also name Erik Davis, Kyle Wagner, Brian Apland and Hannah Margaret Van de Water Davis as having various planning roles in direct actions.

The indictment itself doesn’t allege any specific acts of violence. At Tuesday’s news conference, Rosen played video from Kyle Wagner where he allegedly said, “we’re not talking about peaceful protest anymore.”

Immediately following Rosen’s briefing, Bruce Nestor, a lawyer who defended protesters who were charged earlier this year, decried the latest indictment and accused the Justice Department of “attacking the political opponents of a budding fascist government.” 

This is a developing story; check back for updates.

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Federal officials Tuesday said a grand jury indicted the 15 “for conspiracy to impede or injure federal officers,” and for efforts to allegedly “violently oppose immigration law enforcement.” Officials, however, declined to provide details about the specific acts that led to the charges.

Feds: 15 Minnesotans charged with conspiracy tied to ICE protests

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