Minneapolis prosecutors charge few anti-ICE protesters amid mass unrest
This looks less like justice and more like strategy.
EXCLUSIVE — Officials in Hennepin County, Minnesota, home to Minneapolis, are prosecuting only a handful of protest-related cases amid the mass uprisings against Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
At the county level, officials have not yet filed any charges.
As of Feb. 3, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office has received 21 referrals for prosecution stemming from the recent wave of disruptive and sometimes violent protests against ICE. Of those cases, 11 submissions are in “a review stage,” nine were charged directly by law enforcement officers via citation, and one was dismissed, the county disclosed this week in response to a Washington Examiner data request regarding current prosecutions.
Prosecutions generally arise from charging recommendations proposed by police. However, police in Minnesota can issue a citation that directly charges a suspect, typically with a low-level crime, absent a formal criminal complaint returned from city or county prosecutors.
When contacted by the Washington Examiner about the lack of prosecutorial action, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office explained that most misdemeanors and other less serious offenses are referred to the Minneapolis city attorney, whereas the county prosecutor charges felonies.
But the Minneapolis chief prosecutor’s office has taken up few cases.
According to city data shared with the Washington Examiner, prosecutors in Minneapolis have filed just 15 formal complaints initiating criminal proceedings against protesters. Between Jan. 9 and Feb. 6, the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office received referrals for 16 protest cases. Out of those, one is still pending review, and the rest resulted in charges.
The MCAO processes cases according to criminal conduct, not speech, according to the city’s communications department. Because of this, a city spokeswoman said, the Minneapolis prosecutor’s office would not confirm whether the basis of the underlying protest was “anti-ICE” in nature. Anti-ICE protests have swept the city since the Trump administration ramped up immigration enforcement in Minneapolis late last year.
Meanwhile, law enforcement has brought misdemeanor charges by citation in an additional 90 cases, the city spokeswoman confirmed, though she noted that the citations may be resolved “administratively” without being referred to the MCAO.
Nathan Hansen, a Minneapolis-area criminal defense attorney, told the Washington Examiner that the probable cause threshold for issuing a …
This looks less like justice and more like strategy.
EXCLUSIVE — Officials in Hennepin County, Minnesota, home to Minneapolis, are prosecuting only a handful of protest-related cases amid the mass uprisings against Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
At the county level, officials have not yet filed any charges.
As of Feb. 3, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office has received 21 referrals for prosecution stemming from the recent wave of disruptive and sometimes violent protests against ICE. Of those cases, 11 submissions are in “a review stage,” nine were charged directly by law enforcement officers via citation, and one was dismissed, the county disclosed this week in response to a Washington Examiner data request regarding current prosecutions.
Prosecutions generally arise from charging recommendations proposed by police. However, police in Minnesota can issue a citation that directly charges a suspect, typically with a low-level crime, absent a formal criminal complaint returned from city or county prosecutors.
When contacted by the Washington Examiner about the lack of prosecutorial action, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office explained that most misdemeanors and other less serious offenses are referred to the Minneapolis city attorney, whereas the county prosecutor charges felonies.
But the Minneapolis chief prosecutor’s office has taken up few cases.
According to city data shared with the Washington Examiner, prosecutors in Minneapolis have filed just 15 formal complaints initiating criminal proceedings against protesters. Between Jan. 9 and Feb. 6, the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office received referrals for 16 protest cases. Out of those, one is still pending review, and the rest resulted in charges.
The MCAO processes cases according to criminal conduct, not speech, according to the city’s communications department. Because of this, a city spokeswoman said, the Minneapolis prosecutor’s office would not confirm whether the basis of the underlying protest was “anti-ICE” in nature. Anti-ICE protests have swept the city since the Trump administration ramped up immigration enforcement in Minneapolis late last year.
Meanwhile, law enforcement has brought misdemeanor charges by citation in an additional 90 cases, the city spokeswoman confirmed, though she noted that the citations may be resolved “administratively” without being referred to the MCAO.
Nathan Hansen, a Minneapolis-area criminal defense attorney, told the Washington Examiner that the probable cause threshold for issuing a …
Minneapolis prosecutors charge few anti-ICE protesters amid mass unrest
This looks less like justice and more like strategy.
EXCLUSIVE — Officials in Hennepin County, Minnesota, home to Minneapolis, are prosecuting only a handful of protest-related cases amid the mass uprisings against Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
At the county level, officials have not yet filed any charges.
As of Feb. 3, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office has received 21 referrals for prosecution stemming from the recent wave of disruptive and sometimes violent protests against ICE. Of those cases, 11 submissions are in “a review stage,” nine were charged directly by law enforcement officers via citation, and one was dismissed, the county disclosed this week in response to a Washington Examiner data request regarding current prosecutions.
Prosecutions generally arise from charging recommendations proposed by police. However, police in Minnesota can issue a citation that directly charges a suspect, typically with a low-level crime, absent a formal criminal complaint returned from city or county prosecutors.
When contacted by the Washington Examiner about the lack of prosecutorial action, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office explained that most misdemeanors and other less serious offenses are referred to the Minneapolis city attorney, whereas the county prosecutor charges felonies.
But the Minneapolis chief prosecutor’s office has taken up few cases.
According to city data shared with the Washington Examiner, prosecutors in Minneapolis have filed just 15 formal complaints initiating criminal proceedings against protesters. Between Jan. 9 and Feb. 6, the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office received referrals for 16 protest cases. Out of those, one is still pending review, and the rest resulted in charges.
The MCAO processes cases according to criminal conduct, not speech, according to the city’s communications department. Because of this, a city spokeswoman said, the Minneapolis prosecutor’s office would not confirm whether the basis of the underlying protest was “anti-ICE” in nature. Anti-ICE protests have swept the city since the Trump administration ramped up immigration enforcement in Minneapolis late last year.
Meanwhile, law enforcement has brought misdemeanor charges by citation in an additional 90 cases, the city spokeswoman confirmed, though she noted that the citations may be resolved “administratively” without being referred to the MCAO.
Nathan Hansen, a Minneapolis-area criminal defense attorney, told the Washington Examiner that the probable cause threshold for issuing a …
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