Overview
- Fourteen of the 15 defendants are being arraigned at the Minneapolis federal courthouse on Wednesday, with large numbers of supporters expected inside and outside the courtroom.
- The 94‑page indictment accuses all 15 people of conspiring to impede or injure a federal officer and includes counts tied to stalking, threats, destruction of government property, and assault.
- Prosecutors say evidence includes encrypted Signal chats, rapid‑response networks, vehicle tracking and organized blockades around the Whipple Federal Building to disrupt ICE operations.
- Defense lawyers and allied groups say the charges criminalize protected protest and free speech, and they note that earlier federal cases tied to Operation Metro Surge were dismissed or reduced.
- One defendant, Kyle Wagner, remains in federal custody in Michigan and is not expected at the hearings, while supporters have raised substantial legal funds and demonstrations at prior hearings led to clashes and the use of a chemical irritant outside a St. Paul courthouse.