Chicago Police Helped HSI Spy on Anti-ICE Activists
Newly uncovered documents show that local police and federal immigration agents formed a joint task force to conduct covert surveillance on activists engaged in First Amendment-protected activities.
Radwan AbdulhadiEditor and technology writer
Undercover Probe Into Activist Networks
Chicago-area law enforcement officers participated in an undercover probe led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement into Minneapolis mutual aid networks, according to newly released documents. The operation formed part of a broader federal conspiracy investigation targeting 15 Twin Cities activists who face federal felony charges related to resisting Operation Metro Surge. Detailed information about the joint operation was outlined in an April report titled “Antifa Roadshow” published by ICE’s investigations wing, Homeland Security Investigations, as detailed in a recent WIRED report.
The joint task force involved 14 law enforcement officers, consisting of six local police officers and eight HSI Chicago agents. The targeted gathering took place at Co-Prosperity, a leftist gallery located in the Southside Chicago neighborhood of Bridgeport, where self-described anarchists discussed organizing experiences during a three-month immigration surge.
Task Force Surveillance Methods
The documents, which were released by the 15 Minnesota activists’ defense team as part of an ongoing federal case, reveal close collaboration between local police, sheriffs, and HSI agents. The Chicago HSI task force utilized two undercover agents, electronic surveillance, audio recordings, license-plate-reader data, and surveillance cameras from Chicago's CCTV network to monitor event attendees and link them to other protests.
Records produced by the Kane County Sheriff’s office show that the unit is designated as the Chicago-area Homeland Security Investigations Task Force. Local police officers join the unit on a full- or part-time basis for two-year terms following approval from their superior officers.
Execution of the Undercover Operation
The four-page HSI report details how a plainclothes police officer from suburban Aurora was dropped off at the Bridgeport gallery venue by Officer Mike Xu from Downers Grove. An HSI undercover agent entered the venue shortly afterward once security checks were confirmed absent at the door.
The undercover agent transmitted a live audio recording of the event to the broader surveillance team for an hour before transmission ceased. Recordings were subsequently uploaded and shared with HSI agent Kenneth Popovits, a financial crimes investigations supervisor who was on a temporary assignment in Minneapolis.
Vehicle Tracking and Data Sharing
During the operation, the HSI Chicago surveillance team logged 219 vehicles parked around the venue and identified several subjects already under investigation. A Kane County Sheriff’s deputy spotted a masked man outside the venue, ran his license plate, and connected him to a prior arrest from Operation Midway Blitz.
Additionally, a veteran Chicago Police detective assigned to the joint task force requested surveillance footage from a CPD camera outside the venue. According to the agency's report, all information gathered during the operation was shared directly with HSI St. Paul in Minnesota.
Legal and Institutional Responses
While Illinois state law prohibits local law enforcement from participating in civil immigration enforcement operations, criminal investigations conducted by HSI have been argued to fall outside those restrictions because they pertain to separate law enforcement functions. Representatives from the Chicago Police Department stated that no First Amendment notifications were issued for the April 2 investigation, maintaining that their work with HSI pertained strictly to criminal enforcement rather than immigration.
Civil liberties advocates have raised concerns regarding the operation. Ed Yohnka, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, described the surveillance of the Bridgeport gathering as very troubling and called for local law enforcement agencies to provide a full accounting of their participation.
Sources
- WIREDChicago-Area Cops Helped HSI Spy on Minnesota Anti-ICE Activists
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