Chicago-Area Cops Helped HSI Spy on Minnesota Anti-ICE Activists
Despite Illinois’ sanctuary laws, local police in and around Chicago helped ICE investigative agents track activists engaged in First Amendment–protected activities.
Chicago-area law enforcement officers, including six local cops and eight Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents from Chicago, collaborated on an undercover probe into Minneapolis mutual aid networks in the spring. This investigative task force targeted 15 Twin Cities activists facing federal felony charges for resisting Operation Metro Surge.
The investigation, detailed in a report titled "Antifa Roadshow," involved in-person and electronic surveillance of an April 2 talk featuring self-described anarchists who discussed their organizing experiences during the immigration surge. The report exposed close cooperation between local police, sheriffs, and HSI agents on a prosecution that critics argue crosses the line into political repression.
The Chicago HSI task force, comprising officers from various Illinois counties, utilized undercover agents, electronic surveillance, audio recordings, license plate reader data, and CCTV networks to identify event attendees and build connections to anti-ICE protests. The Kane County Sheriff's office confirmed the unit in question is the Chicago-area HSI Task Force.
The local police were questioned about their role in the investigation, with the Chicago Police Department (CPD) claiming no First Amendment notifications were made and asserting their work was permitted under Illinois law due to its criminal enforcement nature. However, the FBI and ICE have emerged as key players in Trump's crackdown on dissent and opposition politicians, with HSI agents conducting an investigation on Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and serving a search warrant on her office.
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