DOJ Uses Civil War-Era Statute Against ICE Protesters Nationwide
Federal prosecutors have brought more than three dozen cases since 2025, drawing warnings that the statute could chill peaceful protest and free speech.
- The DOJ has charged more than three dozen people in at least 10 cases since 2025 under a rarely used Civil War-era statute against protesters blocking ICE operations nationwide, with penalties up to six years in prison.
- Treasure Thoreson and 14 others were indicted for conspiring to impede federal agents during protests outside ICE headquarters in Minneapolis, with evidence including encrypted messages cited by prosecutors.
- Legal experts like Aaron Terr express concern the government may be overreaching by prosecuting individuals based on association or political beliefs rather than direct violent acts.
- Some charges have led to convictions while others have been dismissed amid accusations of prosecutorial misconduct, highlighting debate over the law's application to peaceful protest.
8 Articles
8 Articles
Trump DHS is using a Civil War-era statute to arrest protestors for conspiracy
Protesters are being arrested by President Donald Trump's Department of Homeland Security, a new report from National Public Radio detailed. Treasure Thoreson, a Minneapolis special education teacher, along with 14 others, has been charged with "conspiracy to impede federal agents" because they were using "blockades" outside of the Whipple Federal Building, where ICE is headquartered."The charges against Thoreson are part of an escalating trend,…
IBTimes UK
InklDOJ Reportedly Reviving Rare Civil War-Era Law To Charge Ice Protesters, Raising Free Speech Fears
The US Department of Justice has reportedly been relying on a rarely used Civil War-era conspiracy law to prosecute protesters accused of obstructing Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, prompting concern from some legal experts and civil liberties advocates who say the strategy could have implications for free speech and peaceful protest. According to a public review of federal court records, prosecutors have brought more than three do…
Trump admin dusts off 'Civil War-era law' to punish protesters and 'scare Americans'
Treasure Thoreson was still in her pajamas, drinking coffee on her Minneapolis couch, when federal agents arrived at her door this June.A special education teacher, she was arrested on charges of conspiring to impede federal agents — one of 15 people indicted in connection with blockades outside a Minneapolis building that served as ICE headquarters during the winter's immigration enforcement surge, but her case is part of a broader pattern, rep…
The DOJ is increasingly charging ICE protesters with criminal conspiracy
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.
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