Documents show undercover DHS presence at Ann Arbor ICE resistance event in April

An undercover Homeland Security Investigations agent attended an April 8 event at Zion Lutheran Church in Ann Arbor titled 'Breaking the ICE: Lessons from the Resistance in Minnesota,' according to federal investigative records filed in a Minnesota criminal case. The operation was coordinated between HSI's St. Paul and Detroit offices two days before the event, justified by reference to federal statutes against assaulting or conspiring against federal officers.

The undercover agent mingled with 75 to 100 attendees, spoke with church members, and collected pamphlets and stickers to hand over to HSI. The broader surveillance dragnet, code-named 'Operation Puppet Master' and 'Operation Whipple Shield,' reportedly included infiltrated Signal chats, financial record pulls on unions and progressive groups, and undercover presence at unrelated events including a No Kings protest and an anti-war demonstration.

The records emerged from a defense filing in the federal case against 15 Minnesotans charged over resistance to Operation Metro Surge, the January 2026 Minneapolis immigration action during which agents killed Alex Pretti and Renee Good. The filing notes gaps and thinly documented undercover agents suggesting the disclosed surveillance is incomplete.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.