Federal agents launched a sweeping undercover surveillance operation in Minnesota, 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 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 said Homeland Security Investigations doesn’t comment on the existence or status of ongoing investigations or investigative methods. The government documents were released in connection with a motion from a defense lawyer in the case, who requested that officials disclose more material collected during the investigations.

Concerns About Free Speech

Many people don’t want to live in a world where expressing their beliefs gives federal agencies the right to investigate them, said Ahilan Arulanantham, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. Over time, it could deter people from expressing their beliefs, he said.

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.

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.