MINNEAPOLIS — Department of Homeland Security undercover agents attended community meetings in the Twin Cities and New York City as part of the investigation. Agents also infiltrated Signal chats of groups opposing immigration enforcement to monitor communications and activities.

Department of Homeland Security investigators obtained financial records of mainstream unions and left-leaning non-profit groups during the probe. The agency used administrative subpoenas to obtain wire transfers from various financial institutions to and from the Service Employees International Union. Investigators also requested that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York provide financial data from the Communications Workers of America, and the department obtained financial records related to the Sunrise Movement.

The 15 defendants are accused of a conspiracy to impede US immigration officers during the Trump administration’s surge in the region. Minnesota U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen said the 15 were part of two groups that he characterized as antifa. The criminal case filed in June focused on Direct Action Minnesota, a coalition of organizers that the government says was part of a conspiracy opposing ICE’s surge in the region.

The investigations followed the directive of an executive order that designated antifa a domestic terrorist organization responsible for riots against ICE. The government alleged major groups were connected to the criminal conspiracy, including the AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union, Minneapolis Federation of Educators, Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, Democratic Socialists of America, and Showing Up for Racial Justice. None of the organizations alleged to be connected to the conspiracy have been charged with any crimes.

Undercover agents surveilled a virtual meeting at Hunter College in New York focused on ICE brutality and responding to state violence. In the Twin Cities, agents surveilled a meeting at a labor center in Minneapolis during which activists discussed a wide range of political issues. They also surveilled a meeting in a Minneapolis public park about protest tactics and a Direct Action Minnesota meeting at a church. Department of Homeland Security agents made audio recordings of the events they surveilled.

One undercover agent attended a training event at a gymnasium in a church and participated in boxing and sparring practice while surreptitiously recording audio. At one anti-ICE event at a church, agents documented the license plate information of attendees. Agents collected the license plate numbers of attendees during a meeting of anti-ICE protesters at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Roseville to obtain the names of the attendees. When two agents were approached by a man who asked if they were ICE, the agents responded falsely that they were not.

The agents compiled a dossier including attendees' names, photos, addresses, vehicle registrations, family and employment information. A slide created by Homeland Security’s investigative branch titled "The Conspiracy" shows 18 organizations, from a small Minneapolis bicycle repair collective to the AFL-CIO. Kevin Riach filed the records as part of a motion urging the court to compel the government to release additional records.

Why It Matters

The release of these internal documents provides insight into the methods used by the Department of Homeland Security, a United States federal executive department established in 2002, during its investigation of activist networks. The scope of the surveillance extended beyond the 15 charged individuals to include financial and personal data from numerous organizations that have not faced criminal charges.

The case shows the intersection of federal immigration enforcement priorities and domestic activism monitoring. The characterization of the defendant groups as antifa by federal prosecutors aligns with prior executive directives, while defense attorneys and union leaders contest the legitimacy and discipline of the investigative techniques employed.

Timeline

The Department of Homeland Security launched an inquiry called "Operation Puppet Master" in January to identify a network of conspirators organizing against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A Department of Homeland Security report documented undercover agent activity on 31 January at a Sunrise Movement resistance skills training at the Minneapolis public library. A Department of Homeland Security report from February stated the agency was looking into people providing material support to violent opportunists and agitators. The criminal case filed in June focused on Direct Action Minnesota, a coalition of organizers that the government says was part of a conspiracy opposing ICE’s surge in the region. Through this notice, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) newly announces that the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) is terminating the designation of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status on February 3, 2026.

What's New

A slide created by Homeland Security’s investigative branch titled "The Conspiracy" shows 18 organizations, from a small Minneapolis bicycle repair collective to the AFL-CIO. CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. said in a statement, "Our union has become the latest target of a corrupt administration that weaponizes the legal process against law-abiding Americans exercising our Constitutional rights." Minnesota U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen said the 15 were part of two groups that he characterized as antifa. DHS deployed about 3,000 federal officers to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area for roughly three months starting late last year in what the department called its largest immigration enforcement operation ever.

Agents collected the license plate numbers of attendees during a meeting of anti-ICE protesters at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Roseville to obtain the names of the attendees. The agents compiled a dossier including attendees' names, photos, addresses, vehicle registrations, family and employment information.

How Sources Differ

Department of Homeland Security internal investigative reports state that the Department of Homeland Security launched an inquiry called "Operation Puppet Master" in January to identify a network of conspirators organizing against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A Department of Homeland Security announcement states that DHS deployed about 3,000 federal officers to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area for roughly three months starting late last year in what the department called its largest immigration enforcement operation ever. Department of Justice court filings state that nearly 30 internal law enforcement reports were released on Thursday as part of a criminal case the Department of Justice filed against 15 Minneapolis protesters. A Department of Justice indictment states that the criminal case filed in June focused on Direct Action Minnesota, a coalition of organizers that the government says was part of a conspiracy opposing ICE’s surge in the region.