US conducted ‘mass spying campaign’ against leftwing groups and anti-ICE protesters, records reveal

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) conducted a wide-ranging surveillance campaign targeting left-wing organizations and anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protesters, according to recently disclosed records. The operation, named "Operation Puppet Master," was initiated in January 2021 to uncover a "network of conspirators" opposing ICE, following a surge in community organizing in response to the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

Internal DHS investigative reports, released as part of a criminal case against 15 Minneapolis protesters, reveal the agency's extensive efforts to infiltrate meetings, Signal chats, and online platforms of progressive organizations and protesters.

The documents detail the agency's infiltration of community meetings in the Twin Cities and New York, as well as Signal group chats used by activists. The records also show the DHS obtained financial records of prominent unions and nonprofits, including AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Minneapolis Federation of Educators, and Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), as part of the inquiry into "domestic terrorist financing."

The records indicate that undercover agents posed as activists, attended protests, and engaged with participants, even providing advice on direct-action protests and offering to build items for future demonstrations.

One undercover agent even suggested he could assist other groups with "direct-action" protests and offered his phone number to attendees. Another agent attended a training event at a church gymnasium, where they were recorded engaging in boxing/sparring practice. The undercover agents also documented license plate information at anti-ICE events and falsely stated they were not ICE during a meeting with a man who asked if they were ICE.

These records have raised concerns among civil rights groups, who argue that the federal government is using the guise of targeting left-wing "terrorism" to criminalize lawful protest activity.