Full Breakdown
Federal Prosecutors Lean on Massive Signal Data in Minnesota 15 Case
7/11/2026, 1:25:02 AM
The Federal Case Against the “Minnesota 15”
On July 1 2026, fourteen of the fifteen activists charged in a federal conspiracy indictment pleaded not guilty. The defendants, alleged members of Direct Action Minnesota and the Black Cat Worker’s Collective, face accusations of impeding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during what the Justice Department calls the nation’s largest deportation campaign. Prosecutors have compiled roughly 47,000 pages of documents and 960 video- and audio-files, including an estimated 16 terabytes of Signal-app chat logs.
Dispute Over Massive Signal Data
The government argues that copying the terabytes of encrypted chat material is technically demanding. U.S. Attorney Kristian Weir testified that “we’re currently trying to copy two or three terabytes onto a hard drive, and that takes several days just to load to the drive.” Defense counsel Surya Saxena countered that “what we don’t understand is why the government is asking for 90 days to copy discovery.” U.S. Attorney Sommer Honeycutt acknowledged that law-enforcement seized chats from “40, 50, 100 people,” noting “there is a large amount of chats that are not specific to these defendants.”
Judicial Rulings on Discovery
U.S. District Judge David Schultz denied the prosecutors’ request for a three-month stay, ordering both sides to negotiate discovery timelines. He set a July 10 deadline for the parties to meet and confer and a July 17 deadline for any competing proposals. Schultz also rejected a protective-order motion, emphasizing the need for clarity on what material actually pertains to the named defendants.
Defense and Critics Question Evidence Collection
The defense raised constitutional concerns about how the Signal material was obtained. Judge Schultz remarked, “I’m inferring from everything I’ve heard that not every bit of evidence was necessarily gathered pursuant to warrant.” Attorney Jordan Kushner added, “We don’t know for certain how they got all the Signal chats.” Defendants and supporters further alleged that ICE had infiltrated activist networks, with Minneapolis teacher Treasure Thoreson reporting “ICE attempting to infiltrate patrols, pretending to be concerned citizens, wearing a reflective vest and a whistle.” Labor organizer Todd Dahlstrom framed the prosecution as a broader attempt to suppress a left-wing movement, stating, “Now they’re trying to break us in the courtroom. They will fail again.”
Upcoming Court Schedule
The next procedural step is a status conference set for August 7 2026 at 10 a.m. in Minneapolis federal courthouse, where the parties are expected to finalize discovery arrangements.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We’re currently trying to copy two or three terabytes onto a hard drive, and that takes several days just to load to the drive.” — Kristian Weir, U.S. Attorney
- “What we don’t understand is why the government is asking for 90 days to copy discovery.” — Surya Saxena, Defense Attorney
- “There is a large amount of chats that are not specific to these defendants.” — Sommer Honeycutt, U.S. Attorney
- “I’m inferring from everything I’ve heard that not every bit of evidence was necessarily gathered pursuant to warrant.” — David Schultz, U.S. District Judge
- “We don’t know for certain how they got all the Signal chats.” — Jordan Kushner, Defense Attorney
