DHS Spied on Unions and Progressives in Minnesota Operation
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security conducted a sweeping surveillance operation targeting labor unions and progressive groups protesting immigration crackdowns in Minnesota.
Court documents filed in August 2026 reveal that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security executed a clandestine surveillance campaign known as Operation Puppet Master and Project Whipple Shield. The operation targeted left-leaning political organizations and labor unions in Minnesota and New York that protested a large-scale immigration crackdown involving 3,000 federal officers. The crackdown was marked by the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by immigration agents.
Federal agents used administrative subpoenas to seize years of financial records from the AFL-CIO, the Service Employees International Union, the Communications Workers of America, and the Sunrise Movement. Tactics included infiltrating encrypted Signal chats, using Clearview AI facial recognition, and deploying undercover agents to record meetings in libraries, parks, and churches. The investigation was driven by National Security Presidential Memo 7, a directive from President Donald Trump to combat left-wing political violence and investigate domestic terrorist financing.
In June, the Department of Justice indicted 15 individuals accused of being members of antifa who conspired to impede federal agents. While prosecutors presented a conspiracy theory involving 18 groups to a grand jury, no organizations were charged. Defense attorney Kevin Riach and various union leaders characterized the operation as a politically driven effort to criminalize lawful protest. U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen maintained that the government distinguished between lawful protest and criminal conduct, asserting that the defendants were militant activists.
