Minneapolis St. Paul, MN, August 13, 2026 —

Court filings unsealed in Minneapolis-St. Paul have brought to light surveillance activities conducted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) targeting individuals and groups actively organizing against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The filings indicate that DHS operations included monitoring meetings held in various public and private spaces such as churches, union halls, libraries, and schools.

The surveillance efforts reportedly extended to subpoenaing bank records belonging to organizations and infiltrating protests. These investigations were identified by internal code names, including “Operation Puppet Master” and “Project Whipple Shield.”

According to the court documents, these DHS investigations were ostensibly initiated under a directive aimed at countering domestic terrorism and organized political violence. However, a defense attorney involved in the proceedings has asserted that these actions constituted a violation of citizens’ privacy rights. The attorney further argued that the surveillance targeted activities protected under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The specific details regarding the scope and duration of these surveillance operations, the individuals or groups precisely targeted beyond their anti-ICE organizing, and the ultimate outcomes of “Operation Puppet Master” and “Project Whipple Shield” were not fully elaborated in the filings made public. The extent to which these activities are ongoing or have concluded also remains unclear from the information presented in the court documents.



Story summarized from the original created by Kyle Brown on kstp.com, see more information here.

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