Newly released court records show the Department of Homeland Security conducted a months-long surveillance campaign against left-wing groups in Minnesota after the January killing of Alex Pretti by a federal agent. The records were released Thursday as part of an ongoing criminal case the DOJ filed against 15 Minnesota activists for “felony conspiracy to impede or injure federal officers.”

In January, the Department of Homeland Security launched “Operation Puppet Master” to investigate a “network” of anti-ICE groups the agency believed to be behind protests against the federal occupation of the Twin Cities. As part of that operation, DHS used secretive, invasive tactics: staking out apartment buildings, tracking the license plates of cars parked outside a local church, and attending boxing lessons and art club meetings undercover. At one point, an informant dropped her audio device on the floor during a........

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