A Minneapolis City Council member is under fire after blaming Immigration and Customs Enforcement for what she described as yet another “tragedy,” while leaving out critical details about the individual who was arrested early Thursday morning.
Democrat City Council Member Aisha Chughtai claimed ICE agents caused chaos in her neighborhood when they arrested what she described as a “woman” who “was our neighbor.” Speaking publicly, Chughtai said the arrest was part of a pattern of harm inflicted on the city by federal immigration enforcement.
“This morning, you know, so early, dozens of my neighbors were woken up because ICE agents broke down an apartment building’s door, and two dozen agents went in and arrested a woman that was our neighbor,” Chughtai said. “We’re continuing to experience tragedy after tragedy.”
What Chughtai did not disclose is that the individual arrested was Kyle Wagner, a cross-dressing man who has publicly gone by the nickname “Antifa Kyle.” Wagner allegedly threatened to assault, kill, and doxx law enforcement officers in Minneapolis. Law enforcement was executing an arrest warrant, a key fact absent from Chughtai’s remarks.
Chughtai, identified on a government website as the first Muslim woman to serve on the Minneapolis City Council, told fellow council members that she had personally been on the scene. Her comments followed earlier statements she made on the social media platform Bluesky, where she accused ICE and Homeland Security Investigations agents of operating without a warrant.
“I’m on the scene at Franklin and 1st,” Chughtai wrote. “A convoy of about a couple dozen ICE/HSI agents broke the entryway into an apartment building at 6am. No warrant presented. Less than 24 hours ago, Tom Homan announced the end of large convoys in Minnesota… BLLSIT.”
Wagner’s arrest came after a series of disturbing social media videos in which he encouraged violent action in the streets of Minneapolis. Following the killing of Alex Pretti, Wagner posted footage urging followers to abandon peaceful protest and arm themselves.
“Show up ready to go. Not talking about peaceful protests anymore,” Wagner said in one video, calling on people to march with guns. He claimed the Second Amendment was the only way to protect against what he described as “Nazi gunmen,” and explicitly urged viewers to “get your fcking guns, and stop these fcking people.”
In a subsequent video, Wagner asked his followers to send him “large sums of money,” directing them to his Venmo account and claiming the funds were for an emergency freedom and defense fund. He refused to explain how the money would be used.
“I’m not going to tell you what I’m spending my money on,” Wagner said. “I just want you to understand that this is an actual guerrilla war in our streets now.”
Other videos show Wagner wearing women’s clothing, including a red spaghetti-strap dress, hoop earrings, and heeled boots. In one clip, he explained that he regularly dresses that way for personal reasons, saying he enjoys going out dressed “clean and pretty” to socialize.
Despite Wagner’s public calls for armed action and fundraising tied to violent rhetoric, Chughtai framed the arrest as another example of ICE harming the community, drawing criticism for what opponents say was a misleading and incomplete portrayal of the situation.
