Overview
- U.S. District Judge April Perry directed DHS to preserve five days of surveillance footage from the Broadview facility and asked both sides to revise a proposed protective order.
- Defense attorneys opposed an attorneys‑eyes‑only approach to discovery and argued that transparency is warranted given the recent killings in Minneapolis attributed to federal immigration agents.
- Lawyers signaled forthcoming motions to dismiss the conspiracy count on First Amendment grounds and to argue selective prosecution, with prosecutors due to respond within 14 days and the next hearing set for Feb. 26.
- A spring trial was discussed for after the March 17 primary, with late May or June under consideration, and prosecutors estimated presenting their case in about three days while warning jury selection could be lengthy.
- The indictment alleges the group surrounded and damaged an ICE vehicle during the Sept. 26 protest, and the case sits within Operation Midway Blitz, where many charges have been dropped and no related convictions have been secured to date.