The federal government has charged 15 Minneapolis residents with conspiracy for allegedly coordinating efforts to impede Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations earlier this year. The indictment, unsealed in July 2026, alleges that the defendants communicated with rapid response groups, warned others about ICE agents and organized blockades at the agency’s headquarters in the Twin Cities. The group, identified as the “Minnesota 15,” is linked to Direct Action Minnesota, a coalition of local residents that provided community defense during the January 2026 operation, which involved nearly 4,000 ICE agents. Prosecutors say the defendants are affiliated with antifa, a decentralized movement that the Trump administration labeled a domestic terror organization in September 2025; the indictment does not include terrorism charges. Organizers have said they will not be deterred; Kelly Petersen, a Minneapolis organizer, noted that many defendants are teachers, nurses and other workers. Isaac Sant, the lead defendant, described the prosecution as political repression, while legal experts said the use of conspiracy law resembles the Prairieland, Texas, case, where eight protesters were convicted of providing material support to terrorists and received sentences ranging from 30 to 100 years. The Minnesota 15 face a maximum of six years for the conspiracy charge, with two additional counts that could bring up to 10 years for destruction of government property. The prosecution has obtained 15 to 16 terabytes of encrypted chat logs from the messaging app Signal that have not been shared with the defense, and in a separate case the FBI accessed lock‑screen messages after the app was deleted before a security patch was released. Defense attorney Sufia Khalid said the government’s theory could be applied to the thousands of Jan. 6 protesters, but that has not occurred. The case is expected to be heard by a jury in a region shaped by the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder and ongoing protests against police violence, and organizers say they will continue to protest as long as ICE presence remains in Minneapolis.