Operation Puppet Master

Organizers in Minneapolis learned via a court filing that they were subject to extensive government surveillance, including undercover ICE agents attending meetings and protests while the Sunrise Movement pursued nonviolent protest. The federal investigation used aggressive tactics, which included subpoenas of financial records and an apparent attempt to entice an organizer into more confrontational action. These revelations came out through reports detailing ICE investigations like Operation Puppet Master.

Court documents revealed a federal surveillance operation, named Operation Puppet Master, that targeted progressive groups and labor unions in Minneapolis. Department of Homeland Security officers infiltrated meetings—held in churches, schools, and parks—which discussed constitutionally protected protests and de-escalation tactics. The defense lawyer filing the documents described these operations as irrational investigations driven by politics rather than criminal conduct.

Federal agents launched surveillance operations, dubbed Operation Puppet Master and Project Whipple Shield, targeting progressive organizations and labor unions in Minneapolis. According to court documents, Department of Homeland Security officers infiltrated meetings at churches, schools, and parks discussing constitutionally protected protests. Defense lawyer Kevin Riach argued that these programs constituted a “broad and irrational investigation” driven by politics rather than criminal conduct.

Court documents reveal that federal agents conducted a sweeping undercover surveillance operation, named Operation Puppet Master, targeting progressive organizations and labor unions in Minneapolis. This investigation included monitoring meetings at churches and schools and collecting financial records as part of a case involving individuals charged with impeding an immigration crackdown. Defense lawyers argued that the program was a "broad and irrational investigation" driven by politics rather than criminal conduct.