Homeland Security officials secretly spied on and investigated progressive groups and protesters during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota earlier this year, new court filings show.
The motion for discovery, filed in the U.S.’s ongoing federal case against local activists, details two undercover surveillance operations that targeted protesters and dissidents during and following the Homeland Security Department’s January descent into the Twin Cities.
Through “Operation Puppet Master” and “Project Whipple Shield,” undercover agents attended community meetings across the capital region, covertly recorded conversations and obtained financial records — all without any basis for suspecting criminal activity. Attorneys who represent the 15 people charged with conspiring to impede or injure federal agents say the usage of such surveillance tactics on those practicing political dissent violated the First Amendment.