Nessel accused of escalating crackdown on pro-Palestinian activists with subpoenas, home visits

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is once again under fire for targeting pro-Palestinian activists, this time for sending agents and Ann Arbor police to serve subpoenas at their homes in what organizers call a pattern of intimidation and repression.

The TAHRIR Coalition, a grassroots pro-Palestinian group, said two of its members were visited by police and agents from Nessel’s office last week, including one activist whose family in West Bloomfield was questioned about their whereabouts, even after agents acknowledged knowing the person no longer lived there.

The subpoenas, issued by Nessel, order the activists to appear for questioning at the attorney general’s office on July 30, in connection to ongoing investigations stemming from April raids that targeted organizers across Ann Arbor, Canton, and Ypsilanti. During those raids, FBI agents and local police detained nine people, seized electronics and personal belongings, and in at least one case, broke down a door without showing a warrant, according to organizers.

Nessel is trying to track down activists behind pro-Palestinian graffiti at multiple locations.

One of the subpoenas was delivered July 17 by two Ann Arbor police officers to the home of a TAHRIR Coalition organizer. Hours later, “special agents” for Nessel showed up unannounced in West Bloomfield at the home of another activist’s relatives, refused to identify their agency, and left a voicemail warning that failure to accept the subpoena could lead to “retaliation from a judge,” according to the coalition.

Critics say the tactics are part of a continued effort to silence dissent after Nessel was forced to drop all charges against University of Michigan protesters earlier this year. Civil rights groups and student organizers say her office is now pursuing a new set of cases under the guise of a “multijurisdictional vandalism” investigation involving protests across campus and beyond.

“These attempts to intimidate, target, and silence pro-Palestinian protesters have serious implications for every Michigander,” said Liz Jacob, an attorney with the Sugar Law Center, which is representing organizers in lawsuits against the University of Michigan. “If people cannot speak out freely against Israel’s ongoing human rights violations, genocide, and apartheid without facing governmental repression, then the freedom of speech of every person in Michigan is at risk.”

Student organizers repeated those concerns.

“This attempt to isolate individuals through intimidation is a clear ploy to fragment the mass movement for Palestinian liberation, divestment on campuses across the country, and the demand for a total arms embargo nationally,” Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE), the University of Michigan’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, said in a statement Monday. “But as we have seen time and time again–from Mahmoud Khalil’s release from ICE detention to the charges Nessel was already forced to drop–repression only makes us stronger. We know that our power will always outweigh the state’s, and that as long as the people of Palestine remain undeterred in their fight for liberation and return, we will take inspiration from them and persist.”

In a statement to Metro Times, Nessel spokesperson Danny Wimmer said he could not comment on the “existence or issuance of any investigative subpoena” because they are “confidential.”

“That said, speaking generally to the policy, practice, and conduct of this Department and its special agents, any time our agents effectuate service of search warrants, subpoenas, or court orders they bare appropriate identification and identify themselves in accordance with the highest standards of professional policing,” Wimmer said. “This is consistent with best practices for law enforcement efforts and ensure the safety of the public and officers alike.”

The new round of subpoenas follows a string of embarrassments for Nessel and U-M officials. In May, the attorney general dropped felony and misdemeanor charges against more than a dozen protesters after a judge criticized the prosecutions and Nessel’s office struggled to justify its legal standing in the case. The decision came after months of backlash from civil rights groups, elected officials, and even members of her own party.

At a town hall in April, Nessel defended her actions but made a series of inaccurate claims, falsely blaming U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell and mischaracterizing a Guardian investigation that revealed her political and financial ties to the university’s Board of Regents.

The regents had pushed for harsher punishments against student protesters and requested state involvement after local prosecutors declined to bring charges. Six of the eight regents had donated to Nessel’s campaign, and one served as co-chair of her 2018 run for attorney general.

Nessel, the state’s first Jewish attorney general, has denied that political ties played a role, insisting her decisions were based on criminal conduct, not protests. But activists and civil liberties attorneys say her involvement continues to raise concerns about selective enforcement and political bias.

Protests have erupted at multiple events featuring Nessel, including the Michigan Democratic Party Convention in February, where she was met with loud chants of “Drop the charges” and reportedly stormed out of a meeting after being heckled.

Now, activists say the increase in home visits and subpoenas by Nessel’s office, alongside the University of Michigan’s continued disciplinary actions against pro-Palestinian students, is a disturbing escalation in the state’s handling of the protest movement.

Metro Times could not reach Nessel’s office for comment Monday morning.

Organizers say the state’s tactics have reinforced their commitment, citing recent wins that include the resignation of former U-M president Santa Ono, the end of a contract for plainclothes security on campus, and the dropping of charges earlier this year.

“We unequivocally condemn the UM Regents’ and Nessel’s attack on the popular struggle for Palestinian liberation, and we remain unwavering in our demands, regardless of repression and intimidation,” the TAHRIR Coalition said in a statement. “Divest now!”