Authored by Debra Heine via American Greatness,
Since the start of the Trump administration’s “Operation Metro Surge” in Minnesota, federal prosecutors have reportedly charged 158 anti-ICE agitators with federal crimes, including “FACE Act violations, conspiracy charges, and obstruction of federal agents.” Some of the offenses carry penalties of up to 20 years in prison.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced last week that she “expect more arrests to come” as the Justice Department is poised to crack down on similar anti-ICE insurgencies nationwide.
Those arrested in Minnesota include nine agitators who disrupted a church service (including Don Lemon, and a number of “ICE Watch” insurgents who “blocked, assaulted, or attempted to otherwise restrict ICE officers in the state,” according to Fox News.
Bondi last week announced the arrests of 16 Minnesota protesters for “allegedly assaulting federal law enforcement — people who have been resisting and impeding our federal law enforcement agents.” According to a criminal complaint published by the Justice Department, the alleged actions include the use of multiple vehicles to “box in” federal immigration officers; spitting on ICE officers during an arrest; attempting to throw a brick at an ICE officer; and other obstructive and violent actions.
Another 16 individuals have been charged with violating 18 U.S.C. § 111, which punishes anyone who “forcibly assaults, resists, opposes, impedes, intimidates or interferes” with officers engaged in carrying out their official duties.
In one case, an agitator allegedly tailed Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents in his van “before approaching their vehicle with a baseball bat in hand.”
Penalties for a conviction on 18 U.S.C. § 111 range from one to 20 years in prison, depending on the circumstances, including “the involvement of a potentially dangerous weapon and whether bodily injuries were suffered,” Fox reported. The cases could carry longer sentences if additional charges are tacked on.
“People need to understand their actions have consequences and that obstruction, assault and impeding are not protected under the disguise of protesting,” stated John Condon, the acting director of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
On Thursday, the feds also arrested Kyle Wagner, also known as “Antifa Kyle,” the cross-dressing anti-ICE domestic terrorist who threatened to assault, kill and doxx officers in Minneapolis.
Wagner was charged with numerous federal crimes, including Impeding/Retaliating Against a Federal Officer, Threatening Injury to Family, Interstate Domestic Violence, Conspiracy to Impede or Injure an Officer, Solicitation to Commit a Crime of Violence, and Interstate Communications,” the Department of Homeland Security posted on X.
The feds are also investigating the well funded and highly organized shadow network of anti-ICE militants who use the encrypted Signal messaging platform to track, dox and impede federal immigration enforcement officers.
These anti-ICE “digital Minutemen” use military-grade surveillance tactics to track law enforcement across 13 databases, Fox News revealed in an extensive report detailing the seditious operation.
Retired Special Forces Warrant Officer, Eric Schwalm, compared the anti-ICE effort in Minneapolis to the insurgencies he fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“We have an entire nation of collectors against our country’s law enforcement—it’s extremely dangerous,” Schwalm told Fox.
On January 26, FBI Director Kash Patel announced that the Bureau is investigating the “ICE Watch” operation being organized on Signal.
“We immediately opened up that investigation because that sort of Signal chat being coordinated with individuals, not just locally in Minnesota, but maybe even around the country — if that leads to a break in the federal statute or a violation of some law, then we are going to arrest people,” Patel said.
U.S. Border Czar Tom Homan vowed last week that the organizers and funders behind the ICE-hunting groups in Minnesota will be held accountable.
“The organization and funding of attacks on ICE—they will be held accountable, Homan stated. “Justice is coming.”
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