in-depth: Chicago-Area Cops Helped HSI Spy on Minnesota Anti-ICE

Newly released documents reveal that Chicago-area law enforcement agencies collaborated with federal agents in an undercover surveillance operation targeting Minnesota anti-ICE activists. The probe, led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Chicago, focused on an April 2, 2022, talk in Chicago where activists discussed resistance to federal immigration enforcement.

This joint effort was part of a broader federal conspiracy investigation into 15 Twin Cities activists who are now facing felony charges for opposing "Operation Metro Surge." Critics argue that the prosecution, and the surveillance preceding it, represents an concerning intrusion into political expression and potentially crosses the line into political repression.

Joint Task Force Conducts Surveillance

The April HSI report, titled "Antifa Roadshow," details how a task force of 14 law enforcement officers—six local police and eight HSI Chicago agents—conducted both in-person and electronic surveillance of the Chicago event. The task force included officers from the Chicago Police Department (CPD), Aurora, Downer's Grove, Cook County, and Kane County.

Utilizing two undercover agents, electronic surveillance, audio recordings, license-plate-reader data, and Chicago's extensive CCTV network, the team aimed to identify attendees and link them to other anti-ICE protests across Illinois and other states. Documents from the Kane County Sheriff's office confirm the unit as the Chicago-area HSI Task Force, where local officers join for two-year terms.

Legal Scrutiny and Departmental Responses

The operation has raised questions about compliance with Illinois state law, which generally prohibits local law enforcement from participating in immigration enforcement. However, criminal investigations by HSI appear to fall outside these restrictions, as they pertain to broader law enforcement functions rather than strictly immigration matters.

In response to inquiries, the CPD stated that no First Amendment notifications were made to their chain of command or general counsel for the April 2 investigation. The department asserted that its work with HSI was permissible under state law because it involved criminal enforcement, not immigration. A source close to the matter suggested CPD believed the surveillance was tied to a federal racketeering investigation, though the HSI report only mentions a GoFundMe account supporting a speaking tour.

The Targeted Event and Broader Implications

The April 2 event was held at Co-Prosperity, a Leftist gallery in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood. Speakers from the Twin Cities shared strategies for resisting federal immigration surges as part of a national tour organized by the long-standing anarchist collective Crimethinc, which has a history of federal infiltration.

Surveillance details included an Aurora plainclothes officer being dropped off by an officer from Downers Grove, followed by an HSI undercover agent entering the venue. The HSI agent transmitted a live recording of the event for an hour, which was later shared with HSI financial crimes investigations supervisor Kenneth Popovits.

Remarks made by defendant Callum Robinet at the Chicago talk regarding rapid-response networks were subsequently cited in the federal conspiracy indictment against the Minnesota 15, directly implicating the participating Chicagoland law enforcement in the controversial prosecution.

Beyond vehicle logging and identifying known subjects, agents noted individuals connected to anti-ICE groups and movements. All intelligence gathered during the Chicago investigation was subsequently shared with HSI St. Paul/Minnesota, underscoring the coordinated nature of the federal probe.

Ed Yohnka, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, described the surveillance as "very troubling." He called for local law enforcement to fully account for their roles and reconsider participation in joint task forces with federal agencies, particularly those focusing on combating "terrorism," stating, "No one should be subjected to surveillance and infiltration by law enforcement simply for engaging in constitutionally protected activity."

This Chicago surveillance was not an isolated incident. Defense attorneys have obtained reports showing that other events on the same Crimethinc tour in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Seattle, Washington, were also monitored by local HSI agents, who reported back to their colleagues in Minneapolis.

FAQ

Q: What was the primary purpose of the surveillance operation?

A: It was part of a federal conspiracy investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) into 15 Minnesota anti-ICE activists, who are facing felony charges for resisting "Operation Metro Surge."

Q: How did local Chicago-area law enforcement justify their involvement despite Illinois state laws?

A: The Chicago Police Department (CPD) claimed their involvement pertained to a criminal enforcement matter, not immigration enforcement, and was therefore permissible under Illinois law. They reportedly believed it was in service of a federal racketeering investigation.

Q: What concerns have been raised about this surveillance?

A: The ACLU of Illinois called the surveillance "very troubling," asserting that individuals should not be subjected to surveillance for constitutionally protected activities like gathering and expressing dissent. Critics view the prosecution itself as crossing into political repression.