Federal immigration authorities have begun aggressively arresting and prosecuting civilians who follow or monitor enforcement operations in Minneapolis, part of a broader federal crackdown on what officials describe as interference with law enforcement.
The latest incident involved 42-year-old Becky Ringstrom, a mother of seven who was detained on January 29 after trailing federal immigration officers in her gray Kia SUV through a suburban neighborhood. According to bystander video verified by Reuters, Ringstrom was boxed in by unmarked vehicles before at least six masked agents surrounded her car, one striking her windshield with a metal object before taking her into custody.
She was transported to the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, where she was cited under Title 18, Section 111 of the U.S. Code, a statute that criminalizes forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, or intimidating a federal officer.
The charge can be filed as either a misdemeanor or a felony, carrying penalties of up to 20 years in prison in cases involving weapons or injuries. Court documents show Ringstrom was released after being photographed and told her information would be entered into a government database. Her court date has not yet been set.
The arrest is part of a wave of federal prosecutions under Section 111, a statute increasingly used to target activists accused of interfering with Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. A Reuters review of court records found that the Trump administration has prosecuted at least 655 people under the law since a series of city-focused immigration crackdowns began last summer—more than double the number charged during the same period a year earlier. Officials said ICE has been forwarding multiple cases per day in Minnesota to federal prosecutors for potential charges under the statute.
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the enforcement actions are necessary to protect federal officers who have faced rising hostility in Minneapolis. “Assaulting and obstructing law enforcement is a felony,” McLaughlin said. “Officers used the minimum amount of force necessary to protect themselves, the public, and federal property.” She said ICE does not maintain a list of domestic terrorists but confirmed that the agency tracks threats, assaults, and obstruction incidents.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said President Trump remains committed to protecting First Amendment rights but made clear that individuals who “impede law enforcement” would “be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Ringstrom told reporters she followed the federal agents for about 45 minutes before they stopped her. She said she kept several car lengths behind and never interfered. “I know what I’m doing is not wrong,” she said. “There was a moment where I thought I could be Renee Good,” referring to one of two U.S. citizens shot and killed by immigration officers in Minneapolis in January.
Video from the incident shows a Border Patrol agent warning Ringstrom to stop following officers. Moments later, agents swarmed her car and took her into custody. McLaughlin later said Ringstrom “stalked law enforcement and attempted to obstruct law enforcement from performing their sworn duties.”
In January, a federal judge in Minneapolis ruled that simply following ICE vehicles at an “appropriate distance” did not justify a stop or arrest, but an appeals court paused that ruling ten days later, leaving agents broad discretion.
Federal authorities insist that protesters have crossed the line from observation to obstruction. ICE reports that some individuals have trailed agents for extended periods, blocked vehicles, or broadcast live streams revealing agent identities and locations. McLaughlin said these actions compromise officer safety.
“When agitators willingly involve themselves in law enforcement operations, they are risking arrest as well as jeopardizing the safety of themselves and those around them,” she said.
The Justice Department maintains that each case is reviewed individually and that arrests like Ringstrom’s are lawful under federal statutes. But critics argue that criminalizing observation of law enforcement amounts to punishing constitutionally protected conduct.
For now, the government’s message is clear: those who follow or film immigration officers risk being treated as federal offenders. As McLaughlin put it, “If you choose to impede or endanger our officers, expect to be arrested.”