Conservative Groups Back Minneapolis Protesters in Legal Fight Against ICE Surveillance

A coalition of conservative and libertarian organizations has filed a friend-of-the-court brief asking a federal judge to force the release of confidential U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement files regarding the surveillance of left-wing protesters in Minneapolis. The Cato Institute, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, and the Society for the Rule of Law contend that the Trump administration unlawfully targeted political dissidents based on their ideology rather than criminal conduct.

Represented by the legal nonprofit Protect Democracy, the right-leaning groups came to the defense of a group of left-wing activists widely known as the Minneapolis 15. The activists were indicted in June following a broad ICE investigation into efforts to block federal immigration crackdowns in the Twin Cities.

Defense court filings revealed that ICE undercover agents infiltrated not only radical groups but also mainstream organizations, including local labor unions and the environmental youth organization Sunrise Movement. The defendants filed a motion seeking additional confidential files to demonstrate that federal authorities engaged in selective, politically motivated prosecution.

The conservative brief highlights government records indicating that the ICE probe originated under National Security Presidential Memorandum 7, or NSPM-7. President Donald Trump issued the directive following the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, calling for a federal crackdown on entities associated with anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christianity under the banner of domestic terrorism.

According to the brief, NSPM-7 was used to justify criminal investigations into political opponents who expressed views critical of immigration enforcement. The groups argue that available public disclosures confirm the Minneapolis investigation was part of a broader federal strategy to spy on and target disfavored political speech and peaceful association.

U.S. Magistrate Judge David Schultz is scheduled to consider the defendants' motion to compel the disclosure of additional government surveillance records during a court hearing on Thursday.

Federal prosecutors strongly oppose releasing further files, maintaining in a court response last week that the government has already turned over more evidence than legally required. Prosecutors argued that the defendants have not met the high legal burden necessary to establish a claim of selective prosecution.

According to the prosecution, the defendants were members and associates of Direct Action Minnesota, a group accused of blockading a federal building and following agents to their homes. Government lawyers emphasized that these alleged acts go far beyond political dissent, distinguishing the defendants from the thousands of peaceful demonstrators who took to the streets earlier this year following the deaths of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti.

Prosecutors asserted that members of Direct Action Minnesota deliberately conspired to disrupt federal operations and were openly critical of nonviolent protest tactics, making the government's enforcement actions lawful and appropriate.

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