DHS Agents Reportedly Tried to Steer Minneapolis Activists Toward More Violent Tactics
Key Takeaways
- •Department of Homeland Security undercover agents infiltrated a Sunrise Movement meeting in Minneapolis, according to investigation documents filed earlier this month.
- •The documents were obtained and published on X by Daniel Boguslaw, an investigative reporter for The Intercept.
- •The infiltrated meeting centered on peaceful protest techniques, including sit-ins and 'Hilton Wide Awake' actions against Twin Cities hotels housing ICE agents.
- •One undercover agent privately offered to build items that could support 'more direct-action' protests, but the report says the activist only acknowledged the comments and saved the agent's phone number without agreeing to escalate tactics.
- •The revelation comes as figures in President Trump's orbit have pushed for policies designating left-wing protest groups as terrorist organizations.
Department of Homeland Security agents infiltrated a gathering of activists in Minneapolis and, after learning the group planned to protest using peaceful methods, suggested they could provide tools for more violent tactics, according to investigation documents filed earlier this month.
The documents were obtained and published to X by Daniel Boguslaw, an investigative reporter for The Intercept. The agents were targeting a meeting of the Sunrise Movement, a group founded to advocate for climate action that has since expanded into other left-wing issues.
"During the meeting, they discussed events such as the 'Hilton Wide Awake' protests that targeted hotels known to house Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agents within the Twin Cities area," stated the Homeland Security Investigations report. "The meeting provided additional history on 'sit-ins' and various protest techniques that had worked in the past."
As the report describes it, the group’s discussion centered on peaceful protest methods, even as the undercover operation continued inside the meeting. However, one agent then "spoke to [redacted] privately and informed him that he works construction and could build items that might assist other groups with more 'direct-action' protests" and further said "that going to jail did not bother him."
The report did not say the unnamed activist agreed to escalate the tactics, but said the person merely "acknowledged" the comments and saved the undercover agent's phone number.
"Prior to leaving the meeting, UCA 9833 was provided with a QR code that allowed him/her to sign up for a group chat that would alert him/her to other future events," the report said. The undercover agent then "learned that another meeting sponsored by the Sunrise Movement organization was to be held on February 2, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. at the Minneapolis Public Library located at 300 [redacted]."
The account lands amid broader scrutiny of how federal authorities monitor protest movements, especially as left-wing activism has increasingly been discussed in the context of national security. In recent months, key figures in President Donald Trump's orbit have pushed for new policies to label left-wing protest groups as terrorist organizations.
