Attorneys representing 15 Minnesota residents facing federal conspiracy charges have uncovered evidence of a sweeping surveillance operation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The investigation, which targets left-wing social movements, is reportedly being conducted under the names Project Whipple Shield and Operation Puppet Master. These operations are authorized by National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM 7), a directive issued following a high-profile assassination in September of the previous year. The memorandum instructs federal law enforcement to utilize all available tools against organizations and individuals who criticize administration policies or espouse "anti-Christian" ideas.
The surveillance apparatus utilizes a combination of high-tech and traditional investigative methods. According to court records, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)—a component of ICE—repurposed funding and tools from Operation Keyhole, a long-standing undercover program established in 2008. This program has historically funded investigations into narcotics trafficking and child sexual abuse but was redirected to monitor domestic dissenters. The operation involved deploying Reaper drones, utilizing Patriot Act tools, and infiltrating churches and community meetings. Agents also monitored encrypted Signal chats, and in some instances, used administrative summons to obtain phone records for journalists covering the administration's immigration enforcement actions.
This image illustrates the surveillance apparatus and high-tech methods used by ICE and HSI to monitor domestic dissent.
One specific mechanism of this surveillance involves the fusion of digital footprints and commercial data. For example, after an activist uploaded a license-plate search tool to a public cloud platform, HSI agents analyzed DNS queries, SSH session logs, and Stripe card fingerprints. By combining this with data from the Thomson-Reuters CLEAR platform and Minnesota Department of Vehicle Services (DVS) records, agents were able to identify personal details including Social Security numbers and property records. Defense attorneys have likened this coordinated effort to the FBI's historical COINTELPRO program, arguing that the scale of modern data collection—including 15 terabytes of infiltrated chats—represents a significant escalation in the government's ability to monitor and suppress community organizing.