Faith Leaders Challenge DHS Church Surveillance Linked to Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
Minnesota religious leaders say the Department of Homeland Security placed undercover agents inside local churches during and after Operation Metro Surge, violating a federal injunction that bars immigration enforcement at places of worship.
A federal court filing on August 13 disclosed that the Department of Homeland Security conducted a months-long surveillance campaign targeting churches, schools, libraries and restaurants in the Twin Cities after the December 2025 launch of Operation Metro Surge, President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement drive. Undercover agents entered University Baptist Church and Prince of Peace Church in Minneapolis, recorded congregational meetings, compiled attendee lists, captured license-plate numbers and cross-checked those details with social-media images.
The operation persisted through spring 2026 and preceded the indictment of the Minnesota 15, a group of activists charged with federal conspiracy for protesting the deportation campaign. Faith leaders, including interim pastor Cody J. Sanders and Reverend Susie Hayward, condemned the intrusion as a violation of a February injunction that bars DHS, ICE and CBP from conducting enforcement actions at places of worship, and warned it could create a chilling effect on free expression.
An amicus brief from free-speech groups likened the surveillance to a “Second Red Scare” assault on free expression. The court is set to hear arguments on September 4 to determine whether DHS has contemptibly breached the injunction, a decision that religious communities nationwide are watching closely.
Why it matters
The case tests limits on government surveillance of religious spaces and the enforcement of protections for worship places.
In this story
Related stories
2 in this thread