A man confronted and assaulted one of several anti-ICE demonstrators outside a Twin Cities federal court building, according to a criminal complaint filed on Dec. 30.
Zak X, 36, of St. Cloud was charged in Hennepin County District Court with misdemeanor assault in connection with the attack on Dec. 27 outside the Henry Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling, where immigration court hearings are held.
X, who legally changed his name in 2024, remains jailed in lieu of $3,000 bail ahead of a Dec. 31 court appearance. Court records do not list an attorney for him.
“The defendant engaged in political violence, assaulting a protester whose views he disagreed with,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement. “This behavior has consequences, and we will hold him accountable. We are committed to protecting the right to nonviolent protest.”
The Whipple Building court, one of 70 handling a growing number of immigration proceedings across the country, has a backlog of roughly 60,000 cases and is often the site of protests.
In the midst of increased enforcement in Minnesota by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), staff members there are increasingly barring government watchdogs, news reporters and the public at large from witnessing judges’ decisions about who can stay in the U.S. and who will be deported.
The small, windowless courtrooms on the first floor are often locked, preventing the public from witnessing hearings. Court staff also routinely redact the names from a calendar listing the dozens of immigrants scheduled to appear each day.
According the complaint:
