Documents Reveal Federal Surveillance of Progressive Groups and Unions in Minnesota
Federal agents ran undercover operations against progressive groups and unions in Minneapolis, according to court documents.
Court documents filed Thursday reveal that federal agents conducted a sweeping undercover surveillance operation earlier this year targeting progressive organizations, labor unions, and other groups that protested the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis. The operation, code-named "Operation Puppet Master," was described by officials as targeting a network of conspirators aiding "violent opportunists and agitators."
The documents were filed in connection with a case against 15 individuals charged in June with impeding the crackdown. The charges include actions such as throwing ice chunks and setting up blockades. Defense attorney Kevin Riach, who represents one of the defendants, filed a motion requesting that the government disclose more material collected during the investigations.
The filings show that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers infiltrated meetings held in churches, schools, and parks, many of which were simply discussions about constitutionally protected protests. A DHS statement said the agency does not comment on ongoing investigations, and the U.S. attorney's office in Minnesota did not respond to a request for comment.
Riach described the operations, including a later one called "Project Whipple Shield," as a "broad and irrational investigation" driven by politics rather than criminal conduct. For example, a Jan. 31 meeting at a Minneapolis library involved an undercover officer listening to supporters of the Sunrise Movement, a climate group, discuss peaceful protest tactics such as sit-ins and de-escalation.
The documents also reveal that agents secretly monitored activist chat groups, used license plate numbers to identify attendees, and obtained financial records for groups ranging from the Sunrise Movement to major unions like the Service Employees International Union and the Communications Workers of America (CWA). A DHS slide titled "The Conspiracy" listed 18 organizations, including a bicycle repair collective and the AFL-CIO.
CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. condemned the investigation, saying the union was targeted for exercising constitutional rights. A coalition of Minneapolis-area civil society groups also criticized the actions, stating the government is trying to intimidate communities.
The surveillance occurred during what DHS called its "largest immigration enforcement operation ever," which deployed about 3,000 federal officers to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area for roughly three months. That operation led to thousands of arrests and the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens.
Minnesota U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen characterized the 15 charged individuals as part of "antifa," a term for militant left-wing activists. Defense attorney Riach disputed this, calling antifa "a boogeyman invented by the far-right."