The DOJ is increasingly charging ICE protesters with criminal conspiracy

Treasure Thoreson, one of a group of protesters charged with conspiracy recently, poses for a portrait at Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis on Aug. 2, 2026.

The Justice Department is using federal conspiracy charges to sweep up ICE protesters. Some legal experts worry the agency is casting too wide a net to prosecute political activists who oppose the Trump administration’s deportation agenda.

(Image credit: Jaida Grey Eagle for NPR)