Americans exercising their constitutional rights to organize and protest are now intelligence targets.
The Department of Homeland Security has been infiltrating political organizations and secretly monitoring Americans organizing against immigration enforcement.
Court records reveal an investigation involving 119 federal agents, at least 11 undercover, that resulted in charges against just 15 activists in Minnesota.
Agents covertly attended political meetings, joined encrypted Signal chats, and monitored protests. Investigators collected license plate numbers, examined financial records, and tracked activists across multiple states.
At one meeting in a Minneapolis public library, an undercover agent monitored climate activists discussing peaceful protests, de-escalation tactics, and safety marshals. The agent’s own report acknowledged that the group focused on peaceful demonstrations.
The 15 defendants face charges arising from alleged efforts to obstruct immigration enforcement. All have pleaded not guilty.
The parallels to COINTELPRO are striking. Beginning in the 1950s, the FBI secretly infiltrated civil rights organizations, antiwar groups, and other political movements. The program also sought to disrupt those organizations. Congress exposed it in the 1970s.
Earlier this month, I reported on ICE’s plans for a $100 million domestic intelligence network. Now these court records reveal extensive surveillance already underway.
Americans exercising their constitutional rights to organize and protest are now intelligence targets.
