Trump's crackdown on ICE protesters already shows signs of backfiring

[marmar]

( Salon). 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.

The alleged actions took place during the Trump administration’s deadly Operation Metro Surge, which saw Immigration and Customs Enforcement occupy Minneapolis for roughly three months and kill two Americans. Two deadly shootings by federal officers on the streets of Minneapolis occurred: On Jan. 7, ICE officer Jonathan Ross killed Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three. Just weeks later, Customs and Border Patrol officers killed Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The same month, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, a Minneapolis delivery driver, was shot by federal agents and later charged with assault, though the case later fell apart after the DOJ admitted that two officers had made “false statements” under oath, according to ICE.

Last week’s indictment focused on alleged associates of Direct Action Minnesota, which the government describes as “an organization dedicated and committed to direct action against federal law and immigration enforcement” with ties to anti-fascist groups, or, in the government’s words, “antifa.” In the indictment, the government alleges that protesters blocked ICE facilities and surveilled and harassed government employees while communicating in a Signal group chat, which they say was used to identify government vehicles. When pressed on whether any ICE or CBP officers were hurt by any of the indicted at a press conference, U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen simply said that “is not the measure of whether or not they committed a serious federal crime.” ............(more)

https://www.salon.com/2026/06/23/trumps-crackdown-on-ice-protesters-already-shows-signs-of-backfiring/