Civil Liberties

This Federal Case Against Minnesota Protesters Is Worth Watching if You Care About Your Civil Liberties

The tentacles of the Trump administration’s domestic spying apparatus are being revealed—and their reach is alarming.

Matthew Harwood | 8.27.2026 2:20 PM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google

Media Contact & Reprint Requests

(Illustration: Adani Samat. Photo: Chad Davis/Wikimedia Commons/Isaac Sant/Facebook)

Later today, a federal judge in Minneapolis will hear a motion for discovery in the Minnesota 15 antifa case. If granted, it could eventually reveal just how far the tentacles of the Trump administration's vast surveillance, harassment, and intimidation campaign against its critics in Minnesota reached—and how much of it continues today. 

In mid-June, the federal government unsealed an eight-count indictment against 15 activists for allegedly interfering, sometimes violently, with the federal immigration crackdown that roiled the Twin Cities last winter, during which federal agents shot and killed Renée Good and Alex Pretti. One of those indicted, Isaac Sant, faces two counts: conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer and interstate stalking. 

Sant will have his day in court, and if the case goes to trial, a jury will decide whether the government has proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt. But as he and his attorney mount a defense, they have filed a motion for discovery accusing the federal government of "an unprecedented campaign by DHS (Department of Homeland Security) to spy on Minnesotans," based on the government's own initial disclosures. 

Alleging that his prosecution is the result of a political witch hunt based on First-Amendment-protected activity, Sant and his attorney, Kevin C. Riach, are asking a federal court in Minnesota to force the government to release any and all communications and materials related to the charges Sant faces. (Earlier this week, Protect Democracy filed an amicus brief in support of Sant's discovery motion on behalf of the Cato Institute, the Society for the Rule of Law, and the Foundation for Individual Rights and........

© Reason.com