A Minnesota man who identified himself as part of the antifa movement was arrested on federal charges after allegedly threatening Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and encouraging violent attacks on federal agents, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Thursday.
Why It Matters
The arrest of Kyle Wagner, a 37-year-old from Minneapolis, comes amid growing tensions over the Trump administration’s handling of immigration operations in places like Minnesota. Critics have raised concerns about the fatal shootings of two American citizens by federal immigration agents amid those operations. The federal government, however, has been critical of anti-ICE rhetoric they believe puts agents in danger.
On January 7, Renee Good, 37, a U.S. citizen and mother of three, was fatally shot during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. On January 24, ICU nurse Alex Pretti, 37, another U.S. citizen, was shot dead by federal agents during a confrontation in the city.
Why Was Kyle Wagner Arrested?
Federal authorities arrested Wagner on charges of cyberstalking and transmitting threatening communications. Prosecutors say Wagner used Facebook and Instagram throughout January to escalate calls for violence against ICE personnel amid heightened immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota.
Prosecutors accused him of using social media to encourage followers to “to forcibly confront, assault, impede, oppose, and resist federal officers whom he referred to as the ‘gestapo’ and ‘murderers.’”
The arrest comes amid ongoing protests in Minnesota following Operation Metro Surge, a large-scale federal immigration enforcement initiative that brought thousands of federal immigration agents Minneapolis beginning in December. The operation has drawn intense criticism from local officials and activists, who accuse federal agents of unconstitutional tactics and excessive force. Tom Homan, President Donald Trump’s border czar, said Wednesday that 700 federal agents would be pulled from Minnesota.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said he “allegedly doxxed and called for the murder of law enforcement officers, encouraged bloodshed in the streets, and proudly claimed affiliation with the terrorist organization Antifa before going on the run.”
What Is Wagner Accused Of Saying Online?
According to the criminal complaint, Wagner posted multiple videos and messages urging followers to “hunt” ICE officers, physically confront them, and “cripple” their operations, the DOJ said.
The complaint accused him of “conspiring and threatening to assault federal law enforcement officers in Minneapolis.”
On January 8, he allegedly posted a video saying: “I’ve already bled for this city, I’ve already fought for this city, this is nothing new, we’re ready this time, ICE we’re f****** coming for you.” That video was no longer public as of his arrest.
He also allegedly urged people who are “armed” to “fight” ICE and that this “is kill or be killed,” the DOJ said.
The DOJ accused him of saying in a January 24 post that he was “not talking about peaceful protests anymore” and doxed a pro-ICE individual on Instagram.
Wagner is a self-proclaimed member of antifa, writing in his Instagram bio “I’m antifa.” Antifa is a loosely connected movement against fascism, not a formal organization.
He has posted clips to Instagram attending anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis.
In a January 26 video to Instagram, he said his earlier videos had been “pulled” from the internet, declaring “guerrilla social media.”
“The fight is well and alive. We have pushed ICE to leave this city in droves,” he said in the video.
What People Are Saying
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, in a press release: “Today’s arrest illustrates that you cannot run, you cannot hide, and you cannot evade our federal agents: if you come for law enforcement, the Trump Administration will come for you.”
Commentator Brian Krassenstein, on X: “I don’t support some of the violent rhetoric Kyle Wagner used. But watching a man in an anti-fascist shirt get arrested by masked men in military fatigues is an almost unbelievable level of irony. If opposing fascism is controversial now, then yes — we should all be ANTIFA. I am ANTIFA.”
What Happens Next
Wagner is expected to make his first appearance in court on Thursday, according to the DOJ.
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