Skip to content

Kyle Wagner Federal Arrest — Anti-ICE Activist Targeted

Date: February 5, 2026
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota (Whittier neighborhood)
Subject: Kyle Wagner, 37
Charges: Cyberstalking, Interstate Threatening Communications
Arresting Agency: Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)
Court: U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
Confidence: HIGH (official DOJ press release, court filings, multiple independent sources)

Executive Summary

Kyle Wagner, a 37-year-old Minneapolis anti-ICE activist and self-identified antifascist, was arrested by Homeland Security Investigations agents on February 5, 2026, and charged with federal cyberstalking and interstate threatening communications violations. The arrest followed weeks of social media posts calling for resistance against ICE operations in Minneapolis after the January 7 and January 24, 2026 killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents.

This arrest represents a critical escalation in federal targeting of anti-ICE activists and provides a template for future repression:

  1. Counterterrorism framing — Trump administration officials labeled him an "Antifa TERRORIST"
  2. Jurisdictional manipulation — Charged in Michigan (doxxing victim's location) not Minnesota (activist's location)
  3. HSI deployment — Heavily armed federal raid for non-violent speech crimes
  4. Speech criminalization — Social media posts characterized as "threats" despite constituting political speech
  5. Strategic timing — Arrested 2 weeks after Minneapolis federal agents killed two U.S. citizens, silencing protest leadership

Subject Profile

Kyle Wagner

Age: 37
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota (Whittier neighborhood)
Occupation: Self-described "entrepreneur"
Activism: Anti-ICE organizer, antifascist, protest documenter
Social Media: @kaos.follows (Instagram, tens of thousands of followers pre-arrest, account deleted)
Self-identification: "I'm antifa" (Instagram bio), "#IronFront", "master hate-baiter"

Activism Background:
- Active protester during Operation Metro Surge (Jan 2026)
- Posted clips attending anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis
- Intensified activism after Alex Pretti and Renée Good killings
- Documented federal immigration enforcement operations
- Mobilized community response to ICE raids

Arrest Details

The Raid (February 5, 2026)

Time: Early morning
Location: Residential building, Whittier neighborhood, Minneapolis
Arresting Agency: Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)
Force Composition: Heavily armed federal agents

Official Statement: Trump administration official Todd Blanche: "The Justice Department with HSI arrested a self-identified anti-ICE Antifa TERRORIST in Minneapolis today. Conspire and threaten to assault, kill and doxx officers, and you'll find yourself in federal custody facing the full force of justice."

Significance: HSI (Homeland Security Investigations) is typically used for transnational criminal investigations, human trafficking, drug smuggling. Deploying HSI for domestic activist arrest signals counterterrorism escalation.

Federal Charges

1. Cyberstalking (18 USC § 2261A)
- Alleged doxxing of pro-ICE individual (Jan 29, 2026)
- Published phone number, birth month/year, address in Oak Park, Michigan
- Wagner admitted doxxing victim's parents' house

2. Interstate Threatening Communications
- Social media posts January 2026 calling for confrontation with federal officers
- Allegedly encouraged "forcibly confront, assault, impede, oppose, and resist" federal officers
- Referred to agents as "gestapo" and "murderers"

Jurisdictional Manipulation

Critical detail: Case filed in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan (not Minnesota)

Why Michigan?
- Doxxing victim located in Oak Park, Michigan
- Only Michigan connection in complaint
- Wagner lives, organized, posted from Minnesota

Strategic implication:
- Forum shopping — Michigan likely more conservative venue than Minneapolis
- Separates activist from local support network
- Harder for Minneapolis community to attend proceedings
- Legal strategy to disadvantage defense

Alleged "Threats" — Speech Analysis

Social Media Posts (January 2026)

Context: Posts occurred AFTER federal agents killed Renée Good (Jan 7) and Alex Pretti (Jan 24)

January 8, 2026 (day after Renée Good killed):
- Allegedly posted video: "we're f**king coming for you"
- Context: Immediate response to federal killing of U.S. citizen

January 10, 2026:
- "we are at f----- war"
- "So, either we're going to win, or I will die in this process"
- Analysis: Statement of personal commitment to resistance, not threat to specific person

January 24, 2026 (day Alex Pretti killed):
- "not talking about peaceful protests anymore"
- Allegedly urged violence against federal officers
- Context: Second U.S. citizen killed by federal agents in Minneapolis in 17 days

Undated Posts:
- "We will identify every single one of them and we will prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. If that has to be done at the barrel of a gun, then let us have a little f------ fun"
- Allegedly encouraged followers to "hunt" ICE officers
- Referred to federal officers as "gestapo" and "murderers"

First Amendment Analysis

Protected Political Speech:
- Calling federal agents "gestapo" and "murderers" = political opinion (especially after Alex Pretti/Renée Good killings)
- "We are at war" = political characterization of conflict
- "I will die in this process" = statement of personal resolve, not threat

Potentially Unprotected:
- "If that has to be done at the barrel of a gun" = potential true threat (Brandenburg test)
- "hunt" ICE officers = potential incitement

Critical Question: Did posts constitute "true threats" under Brandenburg v. Ohio, or protected political speech in response to state violence?

Legal precedent:
- Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969): Speech can only be prosecuted if directed to inciting imminent lawless action and likely to produce such action
- Virginia v. Black (2003): True threats are statements where speaker means to communicate serious intent to commit violence
- Elonis v. United States (2015): Conviction requires proof defendant transmitted communication to threaten another person

Doxxing Incident (January 29, 2026)

Victim: Pro-ICE individual, Oak Park, Michigan
Information published: Phone number, birth month and year, address (later admitted to be victim's parents' house)
Platform: Instagram (@kaos.follows)

Legal significance:
- Only Michigan connection in complaint
- Basis for filing in Eastern District of Michigan
- Strongest prosecutable charge (doxxing less protected than political speech)
- Cyberstalking statute designed for domestic violence/stalking, now applied to political conflict

Government Characterization — "Terrorism" Framing

Official Statements

Attorney General Pam Bondi:
"This man 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."

Trump official Todd Blanche:
"The Justice Department with HSI arrested a self-identified anti-ICE Antifa TERRORIST in Minneapolis today."

Analysis of "Terrorist" Label

No terrorism charges filed:
- Charged with cyberstalking and threatening communications
- NOT charged under 18 USC § 2339A (providing material support to terrorism)
- NOT charged under 18 USC § 2331 (domestic terrorism)
- If Wagner were actually a "terrorist," terrorism statutes would apply

Purpose of "terrorist" rhetoric:
- Prejudice potential jury pool
- Justify excessive force during arrest
- Deter other activists from anti-ICE organizing
- Manufacture consent for broader activist crackdowns
- Associate anti-fascism with terrorism (despite antifa not being an organization)

"Antifa" as "terrorist organization":
- Antifa is not an organization (no membership, leadership, structure)
- FBI/DHS have repeatedly stated antifa is a movement/ideology, not organization
- Cannot designate domestic groups as "terrorist organizations" under U.S. law
- Rhetoric designed to bypass First Amendment protections

Pattern: Federal Targeting of Anti-ICE Activists

Minneapolis Context (January 2026)

Operation Metro Surge:
- Launched by ICE to target Minneapolis–Saint Paul metro area
- 3,000+ arrests
- Widespread criticism: warrantless arrests, aggressive clashes, detentions of U.S. citizens

Federal Killings:
- January 7: Renée Good (37, U.S. citizen) shot while driving away from agents
- January 24: Alex Pretti (37, U.S. citizen, VA ICU nurse) shot while filming protest

Community Response:
- Thousands protested federal operations
- Activists filmed ICE operations for accountability
- 700 ICE/CBP agents departed Minneapolis after killings sparked massive resistance

Arrest:
- February 5: Kyle Wagner arrested, labeled "terrorist"
- Timing: 2 weeks after Alex Pretti killing, during peak protest activity
- Effect: Silence protest leadership, criminalize documentation

Strategic Targeting Pattern

Who gets arrested:
- High-profile organizers (Wagner: tens of thousands of followers)
- Effective documenters (posting protest clips)
- Community mobilizers (coordinated resistance)

What triggers arrest:
- Not violence (Wagner's alleged crimes are speech/doxxing)
- Documentation of federal operations
- Mobilizing community response to federal killings
- Effective resistance (Minneapolis forced 700 agents to depart)

How they're charged:
- Cyberstalking statutes (designed for domestic violence, applied to politics)
- Threatening communications (political speech reframed as threats)
- Forum shopping (charge in distant jurisdiction)
- Counterterrorism rhetoric (despite no terrorism charges)

Threat Assessment for Activists

THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME

Wagner's arrest demonstrates the federal playbook for targeting anti-ICE activists. Any activist who documents federal operations, organizes community resistance, or publicly opposes ICE enforcement should understand this template.

What Gets You Targeted

  1. High-profile social media presence documenting ICE operations
  2. Community organizing that generates effective resistance
  3. Public identification as antifascist
  4. Responding to federal violence with escalated rhetoric
  5. Any form of doxxing (even publishing already-public information)

Speech: Political characterizations ("gestapo," "murderers") are protected, but anything interpretable as a "true threat" will be prosecuted. Context (federal killings of civilians) may not matter.

Doxxing: Publishing personal information of any federal agent or agent supporter = strongest charge available. Cyberstalking statute is being repurposed for political speech.

Organizing: Coordinating resistance can be framed as conspiracy. Effective organizing makes you a priority target.

Documentation: Filming ICE operations is legal but makes you visible. Visibility = target.

OPSEC Lessons from Wagner

  1. High-profile social media = visible target. Real name + recognizable features + large following = easy identification
  2. Personal accounts = evidence. Every post is preserved and will appear in a complaint affidavit
  3. Don't admit to anything. Wagner admitted doxxing — gave prosecution their strongest charge
  4. Escalating rhetoric = documented pattern. Prosecutors will characterize progression as "pathway to violence"
  5. Stay mobile. Wagner arrested at known location. Predictability = easy arrest
  6. Retain a lawyer BEFORE you need one. Have the number memorized. "I invoke my Fifth Amendment right to remain silent. I want a lawyer."

Pattern: Speech Criminalization Escalation

Historical Precedent

Red Scares (1919-1920, 1947-1957): Communist Party members arrested for "advocating overthrow of government"

COINTELPRO (1956-1971): FBI targeted Black Panthers, antiwar activists, civil rights leaders

Post-9/11 (2001-present): Material support to terrorism statutes applied to political speech (Tarek Mehanna, 2012)

Wagner (2026): Cyberstalking statutes repurposed for political speech. Antifa activist labeled "terrorist" despite no terrorism charges.

Next phase: Anti-ICE resistance criminalized as terrorism.

Timeline

Date Event
January 7, 2026 Renée Good killed by federal agent, Minneapolis
January 8, 2026 Wagner allegedly posts "we're f**king coming for you"
January 10, 2026 Wagner posts "we are at f----- war"
January 20, 2026 Operation Metro Surge launches
January 24, 2026 Alex Pretti killed by federal agents, Minneapolis
January 24, 2026 Wagner posts "not talking about peaceful protests anymore"
January 29, 2026 Wagner doxxes pro-ICE individual in Michigan
February 5, 2026 HSI raids Wagner's location, arrests him
February 5, 2026 DOJ labels Wagner "Antifa TERRORIST"
February 5, 2026 Complaint filed in Eastern District of Michigan

Pattern: 29 days from first alleged "threat" to arrest.

Implications for the Resistance

Kyle Wagner's arrest demonstrates:

  1. Federal government will use counterterrorism apparatus against anti-ICE activists. HSI deployed for domestic arrest. "Terrorist" rhetoric despite no terrorism charges.

  2. First Amendment protections are not absolute. Political speech can be characterized as "threats." Context (federal killings) didn't protect Wagner.

  3. Effectiveness triggers targeting. Wagner had tens of thousands of followers, documented ICE operations, mobilized community. Got arrested.

  4. Jurisdictional manipulation is strategic. Charged in Michigan, not Minnesota. Separated from support network.

  5. OPSEC failures are fatal. High-profile social media = visible target. Personal accounts = evidence trail. Known location = easy arrest. Admissions = prosecution's best charge.

Sources

Official Government:
- Department of Justice Press Release

Major Media:
- ABC News: Minneapolis man arrested on charges of threatening ICE agents
- CBS News: Minnesota activist Kyle Wagner arrested
- Newsweek: Who Is Kyle Wagner?

Local Coverage:
- Sahan Journal: Federal raid, cyberstalking charges
- Star Tribune: Minneapolis man charged

Critical Assessment

Confidence: HIGH
Verification: Three-source rule met for all major facts.
Status: Active (case pending)

Every. Human. Matters.

Including Kyle Wagner. Document his case. Learn from it.

Published by Mortui Vivos Docent Intelligence Project
Methodology: Bellingcat-standard OSINT — public sources only