Federal Investigation Opened After Journalist Assaulted at Anti-ICE Protest in Minneapolis

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that four people have been arrested, three of them in connection with the alleged assault. The identities of all four have not been publicly released. Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon confirmed the federal investigation in a social media post.

Independent journalist Andy Ngo, who said he has been attacked by suspected Antifa mobs on multiple occasions, said the footage was difficult to watch given his personal acquaintance with Hernandez. “She’s a very strong person and she had nobody with her and she stood up for herself even though she was knocked to the ground and threatened,” Ngo said. He described the DOJ’s swift response as encouraging.

Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani said he believes charges will be filed based on the information released so far. “These are the types of cases we are seeing more and more go to trial because they’re not typically prosecuted at the federal level and the defendants aren’t going to take any deal because they’re not going to agree to prison time,” Rahmani said.

Several Republican lawmakers issued public responses to the video, with Senator Mike Lee of Utah writing on X: “When will the left condemn this violence against a woman who posed no threat?”