Anti-ICE activists used encrypted Signal chats to track federal agents in real time, leading directly to a fatal confrontation that killed one protester and endangered law enforcement.
Story Highlights
- Encrypted Signal networks coordinated rapid responders to swarm ICE operations in Minneapolis, culminating in the shooting death of activist Alex Pretti on January 25, 2026.
- Vice President J.D. Vance called the activist coordination “engineered chaos” by far-left agitators working with local authorities.
- Sophisticated databases tracked ICE license plates, forcing federal agents to change vehicles and tactics amid obstruction.
- Minnesota Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan faces accusations of leading anti-ICE chats, raising questions of state interference in federal immigration enforcement.
Deadly Confrontation Unfolds
On January 25, 2026, ICE and Border Patrol agents moved to arrest an undocumented immigrant outside Glam Doll Donuts on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis. Activist Alex Pretti, 37, died in the ensuing confrontation. Encrypted Signal chats captured real-time tracking: at 9:50 a.m. ET, user “Willow” posted a 22-second video of agents. Three minutes later, “Salacious B. Crumb” issued an urgent alert for backup at a nearby parking lot, identifying a confirmed ICE vehicle by its Florida plate. The shooting followed these summonses. This coordination turned a routine enforcement into chaos, underscoring how activist networks obstruct federal duties essential to securing borders—a victory long overdue under President Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Rapid-Response Networks Evolved to Harass Agents
Minneapolis anti-ICE networks began as simple alert chats but escalated into structured surveillance. They integrated whistleblower programs to warn targets and harass agents, progressing to physical blockades with cars and bodies. The city divided into zones as small as four blocks for swift responses. “Whipple Watch” monitored a detention facility for months, cataloging plates into the “MN ICE Plates” database with 26 entries around the incident. These tactics mirror law enforcement but target federal officers upholding immigration law, frustrating patriotic efforts to end sanctuary havens and restore order.
Chicago released a “how-to” guide in December 2025 for tracking ICE, signaling potential spread. Under President Trump, such interference undermines mass deportations protecting American communities from illegal immigration’s burdens like crime and strained resources. Networks provide early warnings to undocumented residents, mobilizing confrontations that heighten dangers for agents and citizens alike.
Political Figures Implicated in Obstruction
Vice President J.D. Vance condemned the networks as “engineered chaos” unique to Minneapolis, blaming far-left agitators allied with local authorities. Minnesota Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan denied leading Signal groups tracking plates, but former Justice Department Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle warned of serious legal trouble if linked to the shooting. These revelations expose how holdover leftist officials resist Trump’s border security, eroding federal authority and conservative priorities like rule of law over open borders.
ICE adapted by swapping vehicles daily, shifting to unpredictable arrests, yet database entries grow. This cat-and-mouse game diverts resources from deporting criminals, a core Trump mandate echoing voter demands to end Biden-era laxity that fueled inflation and insecurity.
Broader Threats to Law and Order
The networks’ surveillance challenges federal sovereignty, raising legality concerns over obstructing enforcement. They mobilize communities against agents, polarizing immigration debates and potentially inspiring copycats elsewhere. President Trump’s administration prioritizes deportations, but activist interference prolongs sanctuary chaos harmful to families valuing secure neighborhoods and fiscal responsibility. Exposure of these tactics validates conservative warnings about radical agendas undermining constitutional order.
Stakeholders include responders protecting illegals, agents securing borders, and officials like Flanagan under scrutiny. Power dynamics pit grassroots defiance against federal might, but facts show networks escalate risks without justifying interference in lawful deportations.
Sources:
Rapid Response Networks in the Twin Cities: A Guide to an Updated Model
Anti-ICE rapid response network flagged agents before deadly Minneapolis killing
Encrypted chats show agitators were at Minnesota scene before Alex Pretti was shot: report
Top Minnesota Democrat says allegations she coordinates anti-ICE protests are false
