On June 16, 2026, demonstrations took place outside the federal courthouse in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Antifa-linked protestors supporting 15 charged activists moved toward the entrance and appeared to try to push the doors open. Federal marshals in riot gear used chemical irritants on the demonstrators to secure the building and ensure that the hearing went ahead.
Right-wing commenter Rhein Amacher’s X post shows video of chaos outside the federal courthouse. A crowd of demonstrators can be seen gathered at the entrance with signs (like “ICE OUT OF MINNESOTA”), video phones recording, and people shouting.
Demonstrators press forward and appear to try holding or forcing the doors open. Federal officers (U.S. Marshals, dressed in tactical vests, helmets, and gas masks) move to block the entrance. Some officers appear to deploy chemical irritants with orange-yellow mist and residue, to which demonstrators cough or push against officers.
Aftermath shots show orange residue streaks on doors/windows, discarded spray canisters on the pavement, and continued milling around by protesters and officers.
For background, 15 individuals had already been charged by federal prosecutors for allegedly working together to prevent Trump administration immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota in an earlier sting named Operation Metro Surge.
According to U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen, the two activist groups based in Minneapolis whose members and affiliates “violently opposed the enforcement of federal law” and characterized the groups as “antifa” – a diffuse left-wing militant movement the Trump administration deemed a domestic terrorist movement, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
DOJ says that the 15 defendants are members and affiliates of Direct Action Minnesota, a leftist protest organization involved in surveillance, planning operations, and rapid responses to law enforcement officials.
These include allegedly “stalking” ICE agents and tossing blocks of ice at their vehicles, as well as creating blockades around federal buildings to prevent deportations.
Internet Reacts as Minnesota Protesters Clash With Marshals Outside Courthouse
Backing the officers and the indictment, one commenter wrote: “Imagine calling federal agents fascists for doing what 79 million of us voted for,” while another added, “Arrest them All!!! These losers are protesting outside a Fed Building on a Tuesday, get a life.”
Criticizing the protesters’ tactics, one user commented: “They cause mayhem and fight with the police and they cry that you touched them.”
Highlighting perceived hypocrisy, one person wrote: “They accuse ICE of being ‘nazis’ and ‘fascists,’ yet are the ones actually USING tactics from both. Also, ICE is doing the exact same thing they did under Obama, yet somehow it was perfectly fine then. Hypocrites.” Encouraging more arrests, another comment read: “Guess they need far more arrests. Good – get them to gather in one place.”
Protesters gathered in Minnesota to oppose the arrests and charges, asking for them to be dropped.
A group called the People’s Action Coalition Against Trump (PACAT) organized a rally at 5 p.m. outside the courthouse to show support. Anti-ICE protesters also joined, accusing ICE and federal immigration enforcement of excessive aggression.
