ICE assault case against Inver Grove Heights paraprofessional dropped
Anti-ICE protesters demand charges against 15 get dropped
Anti-ICE protesters gathered in Minneapolis Wednesday afternoon to show support for 15 people they say are being targeted for anti-ICE organizing in defense of Minnesota immigrant communities. All 15 defendants are facing federal conspiracy charges for allegedly impeding or injuring a federal officer and some face additional charges, including solicitation to commit a crime of violence, interstate threats and assaulting, resisting or impeding officers.
INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, Minn. (FOX 9) - An Inver Grove Heights paraprofessional was accused of assault against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in January. Now on Wednesday, the charges against her have been dropped.
Charges dropped against paraprofessional
What we know:
Christina Rank was accused of assault against ICE agents after she was involved in a crash with them in January.
According to court documents filed Tuesday, after further review of evidence, the government was not able to find probable cause to sustain the charges against Rank.
The case was dismissed with prejudice, which means they cannot be refiled.
16 arrested for attacks against federal agents
The backstory:
Rank was one of 16 people arrested for alleged attacks on ICE agents and other federal officers during the Metro Surge in January.
Former U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi had said they were charged under U.S. code 111 for assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers or employees.
The arrest of Rank, who is a paraprofessional from Inver Grove Heights, was profiled by the Pioneer Press in January.
According to the report, Rank was involved in a crash involving a federal vehicle in mid-January and held in federal custody for nearly 12 hours. In a video posted to Facebook by a coworker of Rank's, an ICE officer claimed Rank rammed his vehicle.
According to the complaint against Rank, ICE officers say they were in a parking lot in Inver Grove Heights when Rank approached them and asked if they were ICE. When the officers left the parking lot, they say Rank followed them in her vehicle. ICE officers claim Rank drove into oncoming lanes to follow officers and drove into the path of an ICE vehicle, causing a crash, as they tried to re-enter the parking lot they were already in. According to the complaint, investigators said Rank admitted she was trying to block the ICE agents from entering the parking lot.
READ MORE: 16 arrested for attacks on federal officers in MN: Here's what we know
The Source: This story uses information gathered from federal court documents and previous FOX 9 reporting.