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AP Review Finds DOJ Protest Prosecutions Faltering

Courtroom defeats driven by video evidence undercut sweeping charges.

Sidney Reid, 44, of Washington, poses for a portrait near where she was arrested while protesting immigration detentions, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
FILE - Police and federal officers deploy gas canisters to disperse protesters near a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Ore. on Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File)
FILE - California National Guard are positioned at the Federal Building on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)
FILE - A protester is detained outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)

Overview

  • An Associated Press analysis of 166 federal cases since May in Washington, Los Angeles, Portland and Chicago finds aggressive charging decisions frequently unraveled in court.
  • Of 100 people initially accused of felony assaults on federal agents, 55 saw their charges reduced to misdemeanors or dismissed as evidence and injury claims fell short.
  • Prosecutors lost every misdemeanor case they took to trial, including acquittals of Sean Charles Dunn in Washington and Katherine Carreño in Los Angeles.
  • Justice Department officials say they will continue to seek the most serious charges, while 58 felony indictments and more than 50 other cases remain pending.
  • Homeland Security reports 238 assaults on ICE personnel through Nov. 24, yet court records rarely cite antifa and include no domestic‑terrorism designations.