Minneapolis, MN – On August 30, T-Mobile and AT&T disclosed that they had sent the phone records of several Twin Cities activists to ICE and Homeland Security Investigations agents after receiving a summons filed by Homeland Security on April 12, 2026. These included the telecommunications data of Jess Sundin, Steff Yorek and other anti-ICE and anti-war activists, such records for the phone line for Minnesota Council for American-Islamic Relations.

T-Mobile and AT&T complied with the summons even though none of the three were charged with any criminal charges, nor were they notified or asked to consent to such disclosures. Given the fraudulent nature of the summons, other companies, such as Google, declined to disclose any data.

These summons came as part of an ongoing federal investigation of the activists who protested on January 18 in Saint Paul against the preacher in Cities Church, David Easterwood, who is the acting field office director for Enforcement and Removal Operations, known as ERO St. Paul. 39 Minnesota activists, including Black community activists Monique Cullars-Doty and Nekima Levy Armstrong, were arrested in connection to this action, along with the high-profile journalists Georgia Fort and Don Lemon.

Sundin and Yorek are anti-war activists whose record of international solidarity activism goes back decades. They were included in FBI raids in 2010 and subsequent subpoenas to a grand jury, with which they refused to comply. They were not present at nor involved with the planning of the Cities Church protest. The Minnesota Council for American-Islamic Relations phone line also lacks any discernible connection to the Cities Church action.

One important aspect of the summons is that they are not court-issued search warrants. Listed on the summons as one of the recipients of the data is HSI Special Agent Timothy Gerber, who worked for the IRS before moving over to ICE in 2026. He attempted, first in February 2026 and then again in March 2026, to secure search warrants to seize electronic data for five defendants in the Cities Church case but was struck down by Judge John Docherty for failure to establish probable cause. Twice.

Since then, Gerber, Grayson Cooper and Special Agent Steven Schrank have resorted to ICE summons to retrieve this data. The summons cites a law that mandates the disclosure of data related to fees paid to customs and other customs business. The City Church investigation is not related to this at all. The ICE summons has received widespread disdain from lawyers and civil liberties organizations.

These summons come as the next step in the saga of political repression launched against anti-ICE activists in the Twin Cities. Apart from the Cities Church protest, 15 anti-ICE protesters, known now as the Minnesota 15, have been indicted on bogus federal charges and face up to over a decade in prison for their activism at the federal Whipple Building in Minneapolis. The charges include felony conspiracy to impede a federal officer, assault of a federal officer, interstate stalking, interstate threats, and more.

In spite of protests involving over 100,000 people over the course of subzero winter months, Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who killed Renee Good, and Jesus Ochoa and Raymundo Gutierrez, the ICE agents who killed Alex Pretti, are walking free and have not been charged for any crimes.

“Many of the Righteous 39 Cities Church protesters are my friends and movement colleagues,” said Jess Sundin, one of the Anti-War 23 and one of the Twin Cities activists whose phone records were seized. “They are being prosecuted for doing the right thing – standing against ICE's brutal attacks on immigrants. The idea that the government would use a bogus summons to get records of their communications with me is a desperate attempt to make a case out of nothing. Instead of dividing us, or silencing us, the government's actions are only strengthening our solidarity and commitment to keep fighting for justice.”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #PoliticalRepression #ICE #DHS #InjusticeSystem #Featured

Milwaukee, WI – On January 15, Milwaukee Alderwoman Laressa Taylor held a press conference to condemn the proposal for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in the city’s 9th District.

More than 200 local people, many from Milwaukee’s Black and brown communities, gathered in front of the proposed detention facility site, demonstrating their willingness to fight back against the facility and demanding that their voices are heard.

The press conference began with Alderwoman Taylor explaining the proposed modifications to the building, including adding a sally port and a chain link fence with privacy slats.

Nearly all the speakers denounced the lack of community input and consent, especially by those most directly affected in District 9. Additionally, speakers highlighted the importance of keeping families together and demanded public input and accountability over this process.

Anita Johnson, resident of District 9 and board member of the African American Roundtable (AART) – also located in District 9 – explained, “We don’t split families up. We don’t want ICE in this state. Period.”

Commenting on the press conference, a member of the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression (MAARPR) explained their rejection of the proposed ICE facility, stating, “The Milwaukee Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression (MAARPR) stands for community control of the police. We believe that people should have control whether ICE facilities and Department of Homeland security facilities can be put in our backyard. There's been no community input on moving this facility to district 9 and no community input whether Milwaukee wants to continue to have any ICE facility in our backyard. It is time the city reevaluates their relationship with ICE. We demand a sanctuary city now!”

The press conference ended with an impromptu chant: “No I-C-E in M-K-E!”

After the press conference, community members and organizations stuck around to socialize with one another. A member of the Milwaukee Students for Democratic Society (SDS) handed out flyers for the 24th Annual MLK Rally and March, which would include discussions linking immigration with issues like police crimes.

Voces de la Frontera, a local immigrant rights organization, discussed how they would fit organizing against this facility into their larger fight. Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, a grass roots neighborhood group, explained how the zoning exception given to the facility showed the importance of changing zoning laws. There were clear signs that organizers from all over Milwaukee plan to incorporate the fight against the facility into their work.

Based on the January 15 press conference, it’s clear that the city of Milwaukee will continue to stand up and fight back. We will continue to organize for community control of the police, including Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). And we will continue to stand with immigrant rights!

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #ImmigrantRights #ICE #DHS #VocesDeLaFrontera #NAARPR