DHS launched undercover operation targeting Minnesota ICE protesters and labor unions

Following the January 2026 fatal shooting of nurse Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis, the Department of Homeland Security launched "Operation Puppet Master." This undercover campaign targeted left-wing groups and labor unions, utilizing physical surveillance, Signal chat infiltration, and financial subpoenas against organizations like the SEIU and AFL-CIO. While 15 individual activists face federal conspiracy charges, no investigated organizations have been charged with wrongdoing.

Operation Puppet Master surveillance campaign

• ▪Undercover Homeland Security Investigations agents surveilled community meetings at churches, parks, libraries, schools, and union halls, and recorded license plate numbers of parked vehicles.
• ▪An undercover Homeland Security Investigations agent wearing an audio recorder attended a Sunrise Movement event at the Minneapolis Public Library and offered to build items for direct action, stating that going to jail did not bother him.
• ▪Undercover federal agents infiltrated Signal group chats, attended anti-ICE trainings, and wore audio recording devices to monitor local activist groups in Minnesota.
• ▪The Department of Homeland Security conducted a months-long undercover surveillance campaign called "Operation Puppet Master" targeting left-wing, anti-ICE, and labor groups in Minnesota.

Alex Pretti killing by ICE

• ▪The Department of Homeland Security launched "Operation Puppet Master" days after federal immigration agents fatally shot nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on January 24, 2026.
• ▪Protests erupted in Minneapolis against the federal occupation of the Twin Cities following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents.

Trump administration domestic terrorism directive

• ▪The Department of Homeland Security's undercover operations were tied to a Trump administration executive order and National Security Policy Memorandum-7 targeting left-wing domestic terrorism funding.
• ▪Federal prosecutors presented a PowerPoint slide to a grand jury alleging a conspiracy involving 18 organizations, including the AFL-CIO, the Minneapolis Federation of Educators, and the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees.

Labor union financial subpoenas

• ▪Federal officials used administrative subpoenas to acquire three years of financial records and wire transfers from the Sunrise Movement, the Communications Workers of America, and the Service Employees International Union.
• ▪The Department of Homeland Security's investigation into the Service Employees International Union's financial records revealed only standard union transactions, such as membership dues, strike funds, and pension expenses.

Criminal charges against Minnesota activists

• ▪None of the labor unions or activist organizations targeted in the Department of Homeland Security's financial and undercover investigations have faced any criminal charges.
• ▪The 15 indicted Minnesota activists, who face between six and ten years in prison, were members of the Direct Action Minnesota Network.
• ▪The Department of Justice indicted 15 Minnesota activists in June 2026 on charges of felony conspiracy to impede or injure federal officers.

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