"The FBI spied on a private Signal group chat of immigrants' rights activists who were organizing courtwatch efforts in New York City this spring, law enforcement records shared with the Guardian indicate. The FBI, the documents show, gained access to conversations in a courtwatch Signal group that helps coordinate volunteer activists who monitor public proceedings at three New York federal immigration courts."
"A joint situational information report from the FBI and the New York police department (NYPD), dated 28 August 2025, quoted from a chat on Signal, the encrypted messaging app, and also characterized the court watchers as anarchist violent extremist actors. The two-page report was distributed to other law enforcement agencies across the US. The records were obtained by Property of the People, a government transparency non-profit, through public records requests."
The FBI and NYPD accessed and quoted messages from a private Signal group used by immigrants' rights activists to coordinate courtwatch efforts at three New York federal immigration courts. A joint situational information report dated 28 August 2025 characterized the court watchers as anarchist violent extremist actors and was distributed to law enforcement agencies nationwide. The records were obtained by Property of the People through public records requests. Activist groups expanded courthouse observation as ICE increasingly detained immigrants who attended routine hearings after a directive issued the day after Donald Trump's inauguration authorized court arrests. Reports indicate dismissed cases, alleged deportation traps, and incidents of force at courthouses.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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