Feds Indict Minneapolis Protesters Over Encrypted Chats Coordinating Anti-ICE Actions

In June, the DOJ filed a 94-page indictment accusing 15 Minneapolis residents of conspiring to disrupt ICE’s Operation Metro Surge by coordinating via Signal and other messaging platforms. The charges stem from the community’s response to aggressive immigration raids that resulted in the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renée Good, prompting a wave of neighborhood protests, legal-observer trainings, and the creation of encrypted group chats that shared real-time information on ICE movements.

Activists associated with groups like Unidos MN and Monarca, which organized legal assistance and mutual-aid efforts, have entered not-guilty pleas. The indictment frames the communications as a conspiracy to hinder federal law-enforcement, while critics argue it threatens First Amendment rights. The case highlights the tension between federal immigration enforcement tactics and grassroots resistance in the Twin Cities.