Woman fined $25, sentenced to 1 year of probation for assaulting federal officers in Minneapolis last year

A Twin Cities woman who was facing a felony for assaulting federal agents during a tense operation last summer pleaded guilty on Tuesday. A judge gave her a $25 fine and she walked free.

On June 3, 2025, emotions were high, just like at the federal courthouse in downtown Minneapolis on Tuesday.

"When my back was on the ground, I know I was never going to be the same again, just like the Twin Cities have never been the same since then," said Isabel Lopez.

Court documents say Lopez assaulted federal officers as they were trying to execute a search warrant at Cuatro Milpas Restaurant on Lake Street — an operation the federal government says was tied to drug trafficking, not immigration.

"I wouldn't wish this on anybody, honestly," said Lopez.

Lopez was arrested. On Tuesday, she wondered if she'd get handcuffed again.

"I was honestly really surprised about the sentencing. I was holding my breath a little during probation," said Lopez.

Inside the courtroom, Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Kline said, "Miss Lopez seems to be taking this with lightheartedness," adding that "Lopez has no reason to assault them."

"In the same way they kept saying this is a serious case and I did some type of violence, in the end of the day, I didn't kill anybody," Lopez added.

As part of her guilty plea, she admitted to, among other things, throwing a softball at a Hennepin County deputy. A judge sentenced her to a year of probation.

"It feels like a win, you know," Lopez told WCCO.

A win for federal prosecutors, too. It's the first conviction that we know of against an anti-ICE protester. WCCO found at least 15 people who were charged with assaulting federal officers during Operation Metro Surge have now had their cases dismissed by a judge.