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A new legal filing in Minnesota federal court accuses the U.S. government of opening unwarranted investigations into multiple left-leaning groups as residents were protesting against the deadly immigration raids in the state last winter.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the investigative unit of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), handled the investigations, which included the use of undercover agents to infiltrate these groups. The operation began just four days after federal agents shot and killed protester Alex Pretti.

These agents spied on organizers and groups who met online, infiltrating Signal chat groups, for example. They also inserted themselves into public areas where these groups met in person, including parks, libraries, and even churches. Organizations surveilled included unions, socialist collectives, climate action groups, and others.

The evidence of these investigations — formally called “Operation Puppet Master” by the feds — was divulged in a filing by defense attorney Kevin Riach, who is representing a member of an organization called Direct Action Minnesota (DAMN).

In June, the Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted 15 individuals involved in DAMN’s work for allegedly interfering with law enforcement last winter, describing the group as having “ties” to “antifa.” The organization’s primary aim was to alert people in nearby communities about federal immigration agents’ presence. Per the filing submitted by Riach to the federal court on Thursday, the Trump administration appears to allege that anyone........

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