A new report out of Minneapolis is raising questions about how aggressively local prosecutors are responding to weeks of anti-ICE unrest.
The Washington Examiner obtained charging data from Hennepin County and the city of Minneapolis, and the figures provide a concrete look at what has followed the protests.
In a city that has repeatedly been at the center of national debates about unrest, charging decisions are not merely procedural. They reflect how local leadership interprets the boundary between protest and criminal conduct, and whether laws are being applied evenly.
Here is what we know.
At the county level, the numbers are striking:
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.
As of that reporting date, the county attorney had not filed any charges tied to those referrals. Because the county prosecutor’s office handles felony-level cases, no felony prosecutions appear to have been initiated at the county level as of Feb. 3.
At the city level, prosecutors have filed some formal cases, but the totals remain modest relative to the scale of unrest described in recent weeks.
According to city data, 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.
In addition, law enforcement has issued roughly 90 misdemeanor citations. Those citations can be resolved administratively and do not always translate into sustained prosecutorial action.
Weeks of sustained demonstrations, declared riots, roadway obstructions, and reported assaults have so far produced a relatively small number of formal complaints.
The context behind those numbers is significant. Anti-ICE activists have erected street blockades in busy intersections and interfered with traffic in parts of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara previously said officers were struck with fireworks, ice projectiles, and snowballs during a declared riot attended by more than 100 activists.
Watch: ICE Director Todd Lyons Levels Unhinged Dems With Some Inconvenient Truths
Under Minnesota law, intentionally obstructing a roadway or impeding emergency access can constitute a misdemeanor. Assault on a law enforcement officer can rise to the felony level.
Minneapolis has not been known for aggressive law-and-order prosecution in recent years, which makes the data all the more notable.
Local criminal defense attorney Nathan Hansen reacted strongly to the county figures.
“Only nine citations?” Hansen said. “I’m shocked. That’s insane. There should probably be hundreds of citations based upon what I’ve seen.”
Hansen’s reaction underscores the gap between visible protest activity and the relatively small number of advanced cases. In Minnesota, citations are comparatively easy to issue. The low number of county-level actions, therefore, stands out.
He also warned about the broader implications of uneven enforcement.
“Not charging the blocking of the road, it affects everybody,” Hansen said. “It could be a super right-wing person who’s having a heart attack, or somebody’s a super left-wing person, or somebody who has no political ideology. It doesn’t matter. Everybody deserves equal services from the government that they pay for and that they elected.”
The political context surrounding these protests cannot be ignored.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty has publicly expressed support for anti-ICE demonstrations and recently criticized federal immigration enforcement efforts in a social media post. That public posture inevitably shapes how residents interpret the limited number of charges filed by the county.
I had the chance to talk to Lawrence O’ Donnell last night about Homan’s attempt to extort Minnesotans by saying the occupation will end if resistance ends. If Minnesotans give up their 1st Amendment right to protest and capitulate to DHS’s “mission, “maybe they will leave??? https://t.co/a9aCGoPr92
— Mary Moriarty (@MaryMoriarty) February 5, 2026
When enforcement appears restrained amid sustained unrest, residents naturally ask whether the law is being applied evenly. That question does not require rhetoric. It follows from the numbers.
Prosecutors have discretion. But discretion in politically charged circumstances invites scrutiny.
In Minneapolis, the numbers are no longer abstract. They reflect a limited level of county-filed prosecution during weeks of protest activity. What that means will be debated. It will not be ignored.
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