Newly disclosed records reveal how undercover federal agents posed as concerned community members to spy on residents and activists who opposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) crackdown in Minnesota. Internal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) files, disclosed in federal court and reviewed by the Guardian, document the actions of several undercover agents, including one who went by the username “peanutbutterjelly” in Signal chats with activists. The documents show that the officer kept records of Signal conversations, screenshotting chats about protest plans, and offering to help with fundraising efforts and volunteer recruitment.
Another undercover agent took photos at demonstrations and protest planning meetings, including of demonstrators in frog costumes, a poster that mocked JD Vance with heavy eye makeup, and a protester writing an anti-ICE message in chalk. Other DHS agents trailed a protester as he left his home, got coffee and went to a church. The records were released as part of the Department of Justice’s ongoing prosecution of 15 Minneapolis protesters, accused of being part of a “conspiracy” to “impede” ICE.
A tranche of internal DHS files disclosed in the case earlier this month revealed DHS extensively spied on prominent leftwing groups and protesters as part of its investigation into anti-ICE activity. DHS called the investigation “Operation Puppet Master”, the files showed, sending undercover agents to community meetings, infiltrating Signal chats and obtaining financial records of left-leaning non-profit organizations and unions. The surveillance escalated during widespread anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis after the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in January.
Civil rights groups and the protesters’ attorneys have argued the government was surveilling people without justification and is criminalizing lawful protest activity. DHS and the DoJ did not immediately respond to inquiries on Tuesday. In response to questions about the previous records released in the case, a DHS spokesperson said earlier this month that HSI, its branch that carried out the investigations, “does not comment on the existence or status of specific on-going investigations, nor on investigative methods”.
Undercover agent 9843, who went by the name “peanutbutterjelly” in the Signal chats of organizers, worked for homeland security investigations, the investigative arm of ICE, records show. In December 2025, the agent was deployed to “participate” in virtual and in-person meetings, records show. The agent’s objective was to “gather intelligence regarding any organized networks of conspirators – operating online and in person – who may be providing material support to violent opportunists and individuals engaged in impeding federal law enforcement”, DHS summarized in a February report.
The undercover agent attended a virtual “ICE watch” training on 3 December during which community members discussed how to monitor ICE officers’ activities. Organizers at the meeting “urged participants to observe nonviolently and obey law enforcement commands”, DHS said. The agent attended another “legal observer” training in person four days later, reporting there were no signs of “threats to public safety”.
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