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Isavela Lopez would describe the last year of her life in one word: frozen. 

“It felt like the ice was inside of me,” Lopez told Minnesota Now host Nina Moini. 

The 28-year-old Mexican American activist and poet normally sees herself on the frontlines of rallying with community. But in June of last year, Lopez — whose government name is Isabel but goes by Isavela or Isa — was charged with four federal felonies for assaulting and obstructing law enforcement after taking part in an anti-ICE protest. 

It led Lopez to isolate more than normal, as her case played out for an entire year, and as federal agents surged to the state. Last week marked the end of this fearful chapter for Lopez. She took a plea deal, which downgraded her charges to a single misdemeanor. 

On June 3, 2025, Lopez was one of about 100 people who descended onto the intersection of Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue in south Minneapolis after federal agents, including ICE, were spotted at the restaurant Taqueria y Birrieria las Cuatro Milpas. 

Authorities later said that the agents were executing a search warrant as part of a narcotics investigation and that the raid was not related to immigration. 

As part of her plea agreement, Lopez admitted to hitting and kicking an FBI officer, though the agent was not injured. She also admitted to throwing a softball in the direction of a Hennepin County Sheriff deputy, who was uninjured as well. Lopez stood on a trash can, hoping to make her voice heard, before an FBI agent grabbed her and threw her to the ground. 

Lopez felt her fear and anger at the protest that day was justified and that the force federal law enforcement used that day was excessive. 

“I had already been watching what was going on in California and in Portland, and I knew that this was bigger than just the Twin Cities at that point, and so I wanted to make it very clear that this is not OK,” said Lopez. 

She was arrested six days later. As she sat in jail, she saw her mugshot come across the screen, as local news reported about her case. 

“I was horrified because I was just like, this is just not the person that I am,” said Lopez. “I think in a lot of ways I was racially profiled, because for them it was like, ‘oh, she fits the bill, she looks like the people we took, basically.’”

A judge freed Lopez after she promised to abide by conditions, including surrendering her passport, submitting to regular drug testing and not speaking with any potential witnesses.

For the 12 months following, some of Lopez’s friends would avoid being around her, fearing that she was being monitored. And Lopez herself felt like she was always being watched. It led to anxiety and nightmares.

“I've had dreams where it felt like I literally was taken away and then I passed away. And so the fear was really, really heavy,” she said. 

Amid Operation Metro Surge, Lopez wanted to be involved in community. But she was advised not to be as vocal due to her case. Instead of going to protests, she made “know your rights” zines that she translated in Spanish. 

“What they want a person to feel is powerless in some ways, but I just, I couldn't let myself to get to that point,” Lopez said.

Eventually, Lopez was presented with a plea deal. She was hesitant at first. But she took the plea deal, in part, so she could use her voice again. Since Lopez’s case, dozens of people have found themselves in similar situations, facing charges for anti-ICE actions. Those prosecutions have largely fell apart. 

“There's a tide that's turning here, and I knew that my case was representing that tide,” she said. 

Lopez is also now speaking out through her art. She’s working on a poem and video about the immigrant experience over this last year. 

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Artist and activist Isavela Lopez became one of the first Minnesotans charged with anti-ICE actions, including assaulting and obstructing federal officers. Last week, she took a plea deal reducing her charges to a single misdemeanor.

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A woman in a blue jacket is seen in a video still in front of a crowd.

After a year frozen in federal legal trouble, Isavela Lopez is finding her voice again

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