Federal agents launched a sweeping undercover surveillance operation in Minnesota earlier this year, targeting conservative organizations, labor unions, and other groups protesting the immigration crackdown, according to court documents.

Operation Puppet Master

The program, dubbed Operation Puppet Master, was aimed at what officials called a network of conspirators helping “violent opportunists and agitators.” However, the reality, according to government documents, was Department of Homeland Security officers infiltrating meetings in churches, schools, and parks that were often simply discussions of constitutionally protected protests.

A statement from the Department of Homeland Security said they do not comment on the existence or status of ongoing investigations or investigative methods. The US attorney’s office in Minnesota did not immediately respond to an after-hours email.

Investigations and Criticisms

Dozens of pages of documents describe agents secretly infiltrating meetings, monitoring activist chat groups, and using license plate numbers to compile names of people who attended gatherings. A slide created by Homeland Security’s investigative branch titled “The Conspiracy” shows 18 organizations, from a small Minneapolis bicycle repair collective to the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of labor groups in the US.

Groups that the government investigated were furious at the news. “Our union has become the latest target of a corrupt administration that weaponizes the legal process against law-abiding Americans exercising our Constitutional rights,” CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. said in a statement.

Critics argue that the operation could deter people from expressing their beliefs and is an example of a “creeping police state.” The government’s actions have sparked concerns about the erosion of civil liberties and the targeting of conservative groups.

Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.