An April report from **ICE**'s investigations wing, **Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)**, titled "Antifa Roadshow," details extensive surveillance of an April 2 talk in Chicago. The event featured self-described anarchists from Minnesota discussing their experiences resisting **Operation Metro Surge**, an immigration surge that led to the deaths of two U.S. citizens. The task force comprised 14 law enforcement officers, including six local police and eight **HSI Chicago** agents. This operation is now a key part of the ongoing federal case against 15 Minnesota activists, whose defense team released the revealing documents. ### Close Cooperation and Surveillance Tactics The documents highlight the close collaboration between local police, sheriffs, and **HSI** agents. The **Chicago HSI** task force, which included officers from Chicago, Aurora, Downer's Grove, Cook County, and Kane County, employed a range of surveillance methods: * Two undercover agents * Unspecified electronic surveillance * Audio recordings * License-plate-reader data * Surveillance cameras from Chicago's extensive CCTV network These tactics were used to identify attendees of the April 2 event and establish connections to other anti-**ICE** protests across Illinois and other states. Records from the **Kane County Sheriff’s Office** confirm the unit involved is the **Chicago-area Homeland Security Investigations Task Force**, where local officers serve for two-year terms with supervisory approval. ### Legal Ambiguity and Departmental Orders Illinois state law generally restricts local law enforcement from participating in immigration enforcement operations. However, criminal investigations by **HSI** appear to fall outside these restrictions, as they pertain to **ICE**'s broader law enforcement functions. **Chicago Police Department (CPD)** directives from 2017 mandate substantial approval for surveilling and infiltrating protests or public gatherings. It remains unclear how these regulations apply when **CPD** agents participate in joint task forces with federal agencies. In response to inquiries, **CPD** stated that no First Amendment notifications were made to its chain of command or general counsel for the April 2 investigation. They maintain that their work with **HSI** is permissible under Illinois law because it focused on criminal enforcement, not immigration. A source familiar with the matter indicated that **CPD** believed the surveillance operation was in service of a federal racketeering investigation, despite the **HSI** report only mentioning a **GoFundMe** account for a speaking tour, with no direct solicitation of funds at the event itself. ### The Targeted Event and Broader Implications The April 2 event took place at **Co-Prosperity**, a Leftist gallery in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood. Speakers from the Twin Cities shared information on resisting federal immigration surges as part of a national tour organized by **Crimethinc**, a long-standing anarchist collective whose meetings have historically been infiltrated by federal informants. According to the **HSI** report, an undercover officer from Aurora was dropped off at **Co-Prosperity** by Officer **Mike Xu** from Downers Grove. **HSI** undercover agent #9147 entered shortly after, once confirmation was received that no security checks were in place. The **HSI** agent then transmitted a live recording of the event for an hour, sharing the content with **HSI** agent **Kenneth Popovits**, a financial crimes investigations supervisor temporarily assigned to Minneapolis. Remarks made by defendant **Callum Robinet** at the April 2 talk regarding building rapid-response networks are now included in the federal conspiracy indictment against the **Minnesota 15**, directly implicating the Chicagoland law enforcement involved in the surveillance. ### Identifying Individuals and Ongoing Concerns The **HSI Chicago** surveillance team logged 219 vehicles near **Co-Prosperity**. Several individuals already under investigation, including some of the speakers, were identified. Deputy **Ryan Wasson** of the **Kane County Sheriff’s Office** identified a man previously arrested during **Operation Midway Blitz** by running his license plate. Agents **Joel Sullivan** and **Michael Finerty** observed an individual known for running an "anti-**ICE** Signal chat and group called ‘ICE Cream Patrol’" and noted a vehicle linked to past protests outside an **ICE** detention center. The surveillance lasted approximately two hours. Detective **Nick Nunez** of the **Chicago Police Department**, detailed to the task force, requested surveillance footage from a **CPD** camera outside the venue. All information gathered during the April investigation was subsequently shared with **HSI St. Paul/Minnesota**. **Ed Yohnka**, a spokesman for the **American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois**, described the surveillance as "very troubling." He urged local law enforcement to provide a full accounting of their role and participation in joint task forces with federal agencies. **Yohnka** emphasized, "No one should be subjected to surveillance and infiltration by law enforcement simply for engaging in constitutionally protected activity, including the ability to gather together and express dissatisfaction with public policy." This incident is not isolated. Reports obtained by defense attorneys indicate that other events on the same **Crimethinc** tour in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Seattle, Washington, were also monitored in person by local **HSI** agents, with reports sent back to their Minneapolis counterparts.