Attorneys for 15 Minnesota residents facing federal conspiracy charges have uncovered evidence of a sweeping surveillance operation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) targeting left-wing social movements across the United States. According to WIRED, the documents obtained during discovery reveal dozens of reports, audio transcripts, emails, intercepted Signal chats, photographs, and database queries, exposing the inner workings of domestic terrorism investigations known as Project Whipple Shield and Operation Puppet Master.
The case, dubbed the Minnesota 15, has drawn comparisons to the FBI's infamous COINTELPRO program, which surveilled and infiltrated civil rights and anti-war groups from the 1950s to the 1970s. Experts say nothing of this scale has been seen in the US since that era, raising serious concerns about civil liberties and the use of post-9/11 investigative powers against ordinary Americans.
How ICE Spied on Activists
The surveillance was carried out by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), one of ICE's two components, under the authority of National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM 7). Signed after Charlie Kirk's assassination in September of last year, NSPM 7 directs federal law enforcement to use all available tools against those who criticize the administration's policies or espouse what it calls "anti-Christian" ideas.
According to the filings, around 120 HSI agents—including 11 undercover operatives—were assigned to the Minnesota case. They deployed highly invasive techniques such as Reaper drones and Patriot Act tools typically reserved for money laundering and terrorism investigations. Undercover operatives also infiltrated churches, apparently violating a court order.
- Operation Keyhole: HSI undercover program dating back to 2008, funding investigations in Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska.
