Earlier this year, the occupation of Minneapolis by Immigration and Customs Enforcement was in full swing, with more than 4,000 Department of Homeland Security officers in the city at its peak. During the operation, ICE wreaked havoc on the city, snatching residents off the streets and from their homes, sometimes leaving cars abandoned on the side of the road. Locals responded with widespread protests and grassroots efforts to track ICE, so the department turned their energy on protesters. The crackdown led to confrontations between federal officers and protesters, some of which resulted in deadly force from the government.
Last week, the Department of Justice indicted 15 activists in Minnesota, alleging that they had conspired to impede the operations of Homeland Security employees and had ties to “antifa,” or anti-fascist groups. However, local activists say that the indictments, which are widely seen as an attempt to suppress political dissent and send a message to other protesters, have already backfired.
