ICE Is Functioning As The New COINTELPRO, Report Finds

The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown is apparently about more than deportations. Newly revealed court documents suggest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been building an expansive surveillance operation targeting left-wing activists, community organizers and people protesting the administration’s policies.

The evidence emerged after 15 Minnesota residents facing federal conspiracy charges tied to efforts to monitor immigration enforcement agents. Records reviewed by WIRED reveal an extraordinary intelligence-gathering operation involving undercover agents, intercepted Signal messages, drone footage, financial records and investigative tools typically associated with terrorism and organized crime cases.

The intrusive operation from a task force built to be an immigration enforcement unit has drawn comparisons to COINTELPRO, the FBI’s infamous campaign to infiltrate, surveil and undermine civil rights and anti-war movements during the 1950s.

At the center of the investigation are two operations, Project Whipple Shield and Operation Puppet Master, operating under the authority of National Security Presidential Memorandum 7. Issued following Charlie Kirk’s assassination, the directive calls for federal agencies to investigate organizations and individuals accused of advancing political violence or ideologies deemed hostile to the administration.

Defense attorneys argue that the Minnesota prosecution is an attempt by the Trump administration to criminalize criticism against President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. 

In December during Operation Metro Surge, activists organized encrypted messaging groups, databases, and dispatch systems to monitor federal agents and alert communities to their movements. Prosecutors contend those activities constituted a conspiracy to obstruct immigration enforcement, stalk federal agents and commit assaults. Defense lawyers argue the charges vastly exceed the alleged conduct.

The investigation reportedly involved approximately 120 Homeland Security Investigations agents, including 11 undercover operatives. Agents attended activist meetings, marches, training sessions and encrypted communications networks, while monitoring gatherings in cities including Chicago, Seattle and New York.

Investigators also deployed drones, examined financial transactions and accessed extensive personal information through commercial databases and other investigative tools.

Former federal officials who reviewed the filings told WIRED they believe the operation extends beyond Minnesota. Spencer Reynolds, a former Department of Homeland Security attorney, described the surveillance apparatus as operating alongside the administration’s aggressive immigration raids nationwide.

The investigation also raises questions about how the unit designed to combat terrorism got access to financial records as well as methods reportedly used to obtain journalists’ phone records, WIRED reports. 

Mike German, a retired FBI agent and longtime critic of federal surveillance practices, says the government’s ability to combine communications, financial, and personal data makes modern investigations potentially more sweeping than what used to take place.

“This is the new COINTELPRO,” defense attorney Kevin Riach said, warning that ICE’s tactics resemble a domestic intelligence agency targeting political opponents.

The Minnesota case may ultimately become a defining test of how far the federal government can go in investigating Americans engaged in political protest—and whether Trump’s immigration crackdown is just a cover to go after citizens who are highly critical of the president and his administration. 

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