From protest to felony: the lines Minnesota anti-ICE agitators may be crossing

Federal prosecutors have charged more than 150 anti-ICE protesters in Minnesota with crimes ranging from obstruction of federal agents to FACE Act violations - offenses that carry penalties from fines to years in prison - as the Justice Department warns that similar conduct will be prosecuted aggressively nationwide. 

The response in the state offers a roadmap of sorts for how the Justice Department could move to quash similar protests nationwide and respond to unrest during Trump's second presidential term. 

These individuals have been charged with FACE Act violations, conspiracy charges, and obstruction of federal agents, according to copies of criminal complaints and indictments reviewed by Fox News Digital. Convictions on any of these charges range from fines to years in prison, in a sign of the administration's plans to crack down on similar protest tactics in other states. 

"We expect more arrests to come," Attorney General Pam Bondi said on social media last week.

In fact, individuals need not look much further than indictments the Justice Department has already secured against certain individuals as an indication of the behavior and actions it may seek to prosecute.

One individual allegedly followed Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents in his van before approaching their vehicle with a baseball bat in hand.

Bondi said the 16 individuals in question have been charged with violating 18 U.S.C. § 111, which punishes any individual who "forcibly assaults, resists, opposes, impedes, intimidates or interferes" with officials engaged in carrying out their official duties. 

Penalties for a conviction on the charge range from one year in prison to up to 20 years, depending on additional factors - including the involvement of a potentially dangerous weapon and whether bodily injuries were suffered. If additional violations are tacked on, the cases could carry longer sentences.

The FACE Act, passed in 1994, is a federal law that prohibits the use of force, intimidation, or obstruction to deliberately "injure, intimidate, or interfere" with an individual's ability to exercise their right to religious freedom at a place of worship. 

FACE Act violations carry penalties ranging from fines to prison time, depending on the severity of the violation alleged and other contributing factors.

Senior Trump administration officials have warned anti-ICE protesters against obstructing or otherwise interfering with federal immigration officers, noting that they would not hesitate to pursue criminal charges against others found to be engaging in illegal behavior. 

In addition to the indictments already secured, the Justice Department could crack down on a wide range of behavior by anti-ICE protesters, including behavior documented by reporters and on social media, such as blocking ICE access to certain roadways, demanding that officers share identifying information before entering certain areas, or attempting to surveil, track, or share information about the movements of federal officers with members of the public.

"People need to understand their actions have consequences and that obstruction, assault and impeding are not protected under the disguise of protesting," John Condon, the acting director of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), said in a statement.

The warnings come as Minnesota has emerged in recent weeks as a flashpoint for immigration protests in response to the administration's "Operation Metro Surge," which saw the deployment of some 3,000 ICE officers to the state. 

"Protest but stop impeding, stop interfering, stop violating the law - because we will arrest you," White House border czar Tom Homan said Wednesday.