Biography
Dana Briggs was a 70-year-old Air Force veteran arrested during a September 27, 2025 protest outside the Broadview ICE facility in Illinois. Federal prosecutors initially alleged assault and later reduced the accusation to a misdemeanor. Video showed an agent knocking Briggs down, and prosecutors ultimately dismissed the case. He was released September 29.
Signed dismissal with prejudice and separately dated jail release
Magistrate Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes’s signed November 20, 2025 opinion and order in United States v. Briggs, 25 CR 610, dismisses the criminal information with prejudice under Rule48(a), without objection from the government. This is an actual dismissal order, not merely a pending prosecution request. The court recounts that Briggs was arrested on September 27 and released on conditions September 29; the November disposition does not extend his two-day physical custody. The original felony Section111(a) allegation was reduced to a misdemeanor information on October7, and Briggs pleaded not guilty. The opinion distinguishes pretrial supervision, travel restrictions and an unsecured bond from continued jail detention. Existing custody endpoints remain unchanged.
On May 6, 2026, Briggs joined Ian Sampson, Grace Cooper and Jacqueline Guataquira in filing Briggs v. DHS, No. 1:26-cv-05238, a civil complaint seeking declaratory and injunctive relief over compelled DNA collection and continued retention after protest arrests. Briggs alleges agents took a DNA sample during overnight processing following his September 27, 2025 arrest and retained it despite dismissal of his criminal case. The complaint also alleges that he was handcuffed to a hospital bed while receiving treatment before transfer to Chicago’s Metropolitan Correctional Center early September 28. The DNA-retention claims are allegations in a newly filed civil case, not a judgment finding those practices unlawful. His previously documented September 29 release and two-day physical custody remain unchanged. Source: https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Briggs-v-DHS-Complaint-5-6-26.pdf (PDF pages 1–7, 36–43).
