HSI-led task force with Chicago-area police surveilled Crimethinc anti-ICE event in support of Minnesota 15 prosecution
Documents released by the defense team in the federal case against the Minnesota 15 show that a joint task force of six local officers and eight HSI Chicago agents surveilled an April 2 talk at the Co-Prosperity gallery in Chicago. The talk was part of a Crimethinc national tour in which Twin Cities anarchists discussed resisting Operation Metro Surge. A four-page HSI report titled "Antifa Roadshow" details the operation. The task force included personnel from the Chicago Police Department, Aurora PD, Downers Grove PD, Cook County and the Kane County Sheriff. The findings fuel criticism that HSI, rather than the FBI, is acting as the lead agency for politically charged investigations, and they raise questions about local compliance with Illinois restrictions and Chicago's 2017 protest-surveillance order.
Detalhes técnicos
- The task force used two undercover agents, a live audio feed that dropped after about an hour, unspecified electronic surveillance and audio recordings.
- It also used license-plate-reader data and Chicago CCTV footage to identify attendees. The team logged 219 vehicles near the venue and ran plates to identify subjects.
- The task force sought to link attendees to other anti-ICE protests in Illinois and other states, including an anti-ICE Signal group called "ICE Cream Patrol" and March 2026 protests in Broadview, Illinois.
- A CPD detective filed a request for footage from a CPD camera outside the venue; it is unclear whether he received it.
- Recordings and all information gathered were shared with HSI St. Paul/Minnesota. Remarks by defendant Callum Robinet at the event appear in the federal conspiracy indictment.
- Defense discovery shows HSI agents also monitored Crimethinc tour events in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Seattle, Washington.
- CPD says no First Amendment notifications were made and that the work was permitted because it concerned criminal rather than immigration enforcement.
Remediação
The article describes no technical remediation. The ACLU of Illinois calls for local agencies to fully account for their role and to reexamine their participation in federal task forces.
Linha do tempo
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HSI-led task force with Chicago-area police surveilled Crimethinc anti-ICE event in support of Minnesota 15 prosecution
ler a análise desta fonte ocultar
Documents released by the defense team in the federal case against the Minnesota 15 show that a joint task force of six local officers and eight HSI Chicago agents surveilled an April 2 talk at the Co-Prosperity gallery in Chicago. The talk was part of a Crimethinc national tour in which Twin Cities anarchists discussed resisting Operation Metro Surge. A four-page HSI report titled "Antifa Roadshow" details the operation. The task force included personnel from the Chicago Police Department, Aurora PD, Downers Grove PD, Cook County and the Kane County Sheriff. The findings fuel criticism that HSI, rather than the FBI, is acting as the lead agency for politically charged investigations, and they raise questions about local compliance with Illinois restrictions and Chicago's 2017 protest-surveillance order.
Technical Details
- The task force used two undercover agents, a live audio feed that dropped after about an hour, unspecified electronic surveillance and audio recordings.
- It also used license-plate-reader data and Chicago CCTV footage to identify attendees. The team logged 219 vehicles near the venue and ran plates to identify subjects.
- The task force sought to link attendees to other anti-ICE protests in Illinois and other states, including an anti-ICE Signal group called "ICE Cream Patrol" and March 2026 protests in Broadview, Illinois.
- A CPD detective filed a request for footage from a CPD camera outside the venue; it is unclear whether he received it.
- Recordings and all information gathered were shared with HSI St. Paul/Minnesota. Remarks by defendant Callum Robinet at the event appear in the federal conspiracy indictment.
- Defense discovery shows HSI agents also monitored Crimethinc tour events in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Seattle, Washington.
- CPD says no First Amendment notifications were made and that the work was permitted because it concerned criminal rather than immigration enforcement.
Remediation
The article describes no technical remediation. The ACLU of Illinois calls for local agencies to fully account for their role and to reexamine their participation in federal task forces.