HSI Surveillance of Chicago’s Bridgeport Rally Draws ACLU Criticism

Federal and local law enforcement monitored a Bridgeport rally in Chicago on April 2 as part of the Minnesota 15 investigation, according to reports obtained by the defense. The surveillance included vehicles, attendees and individuals already under investigation, including speakers on the Crime Think tour.

HSI Recorded Vehicles Near Co-Prosperity

The HSI Chicago surveillance team recorded 219 vehicles parked near Co-Prosperity, the event venue. ICE had already identified several targets under investigation, including some of the tour’s speakers.

Kane County Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Wasson spotted a hooded and masked man removing items from a trunk outside the venue. Wasson checked the vehicle’s license plate and identified the man as the subject of an arrest during the October 4 Operation Midway Blitz. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Veitch had declined to prosecute the case.

Agents Monitored a Suspected “ICE Cream Patrol” Organizer

Outside the venue, agents Joel Sullivan and Michael Finnerty spotted an unnamed person already under investigation for allegedly operating an anti-ICE signaling chat and group called “ICE Cream Patrol.”

The agents also noted that an orange Hyundai had been recorded near two protests in March 2026 outside an ICE detention center in Broadview, Illinois. The surveillance continued for approximately two hours, ending at 8:30 p.m. local time on April 2.

Chicago Police Camera Footage Requested

Nick Nunez, a veteran Chicago police detective with intimate knowledge of the joint task force, requested surveillance footage from Chicago Police Department cameras outside the venue. The request was expected to take a week to complete, but it is unclear whether Nunez received the footage.

According to the department’s report, all information collected during the April investigation in Chicago was shared with HSI in St. Paul, Minnesota.

ACLU of Illinois Calls Surveillance “Very Disturbing”

Ed Yonka, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, called the surveillance of the Bridgeport rally “very disturbing.” He said local law enforcement should be fully accountable for its role in the incident and participation in a joint task force with federal agencies.

“No one should be subject to surveillance or infiltration by law enforcement simply because they participate in constitutionally protected activities, such as the ability to gather and express dissatisfaction with public policy,” Yonka said. “It is also time to reconsider the Trump administration’s task force participation in local law enforcement, especially any group focused on combating ‘terrorism.’”

HSI Also Monitored Rallies in Michigan and Washington

The April 2 rally in Bridgeport was not the only out-of-state event monitored by HSI during the Minnesota 15 investigation. A report obtained by the defense through discovery said events on the same Crime Think tour in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Seattle, Washington, were directly monitored by local HSI agents, who reported on the speeches to colleagues in Minneapolis.

Police Departments Did Not Respond to Requests for Comment

The Aurora Police Department, Downers Grove Police Department and Kane County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to requests for comment.