FBI monitored Signal chat of immigration activists in New York

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The Guardian
Today 16:38

New records reveal the FBI accessed a private Signal chat used by immigration activists in New York, raising concerns about surveillance and undermining civil liberties.

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An image of the Signal app is shown on a mobile phone in San Francisco, March 18, 2025 (AP)

The FBI monitored a private Signal group chat used by immigration activists involved in “courtwatch” efforts in New York City, law enforcement records obtained by The Guardian showed.

Documents reveal that the FBI gained access to encrypted conversations from a Signal group coordinating volunteers who observe public proceedings at three federal immigration courts in New York. These courts have faced repeated accusations of violating immigrants’ due process rights.

A joint report by the FBI and the New York Police Department (NYPD), dated August 28, 2025, cited messages from the group chat and labeled the courtwatchers as “anarchist violent extremist actors.” The two-page memo was circulated among various law enforcement agencies across the United States.

The records were secured by Property of the People, a nonprofit focused on government transparency, through public records requests.

Signal group targeted over courtwatch activities

In recent months, immigrant rights groups have intensified their court observation efforts amid growing concerns that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is detaining immigrants appearing in court for routine hearings.

An ICE directive issued after US President Donald Trump assumed office allowed arrests at courthouses, a practice previously restricted under the Biden administration over concerns it could hinder fair judicial processes.

In several instances throughout 2025, federal agents dismissed immigrants’ cases in court, only to arrest them moments later in courthouse hallways. The Guardian and the Associated Press have reported on these practices, with the latter describing them as “deportation traps.” In one case, a federal officer was filmed pushing a woman to the floor inside a New York courthouse, prompting rare condemnation from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

FBI report raises questions about surveillance methods

The FBI report from its New York division did not specify how the bureau accessed the encrypted Signal group. Signal’s end-to-end encryption is designed to prevent third-party access, suggesting that law enforcement may have received information directly from a group participant or gained access to a member’s unlocked device.

The FBI attributed the information to a “sensitive source with excellent access” and warned of “extremist actors targeting law enforcement officers and federal facilities.”

According to the report, an individual joined a Signal call in “late May” as part of a debrief session within the group. The conversation reportedly covered plans to improve observation tactics around three immigration courts in Manhattan: 26 Federal Plaza, 201 Varick Street, and 290 Broadway.

The FBI summary stated that collecting media, such as images and video of law enforcement officers, badges, license plates, and interiors of federal buildings, was considered “critical information".

The document also noted that group members shared instructions on how to gain courtroom access, including which floors to visit and what to say, such as claiming to be attending a 9:30 hearing.

“‘Courtwatch’ is a private/invite-only, encrypted Signal application group chat created by the identified [individual]. In private encrypted online chats, the identified [individual] is known to instruct protest participants to use violence against [law enforcement]," the report added.

Civil liberties concerns over NYPD and federal involvement

The FBI, DHS, and ICE all declined to comment on the revelations. An NYPD spokesperson claimed the report was “not an NYPD document.”

Civil rights advocates criticized the surveillance as an overreach. Brad Lander, New York City comptroller and a participant in courtwatch efforts, condemned the FBI memo, stating, “Observing immigration court hearings is a legal and non-violent act, unlike the ICE abductions we have witnessed regularly for months outside of the courtrooms.”

Lander added, “The mission of courtwatch is to provide transparency and ensure people are not disappeared without due process – surveillance and intimidation by Trump’s corrupted Justice Department won’t stop us from showing up to protect our neighbors and the rule of law.”

Dr. Ryan Shapiro, executive director of Property of the People, said in a statement, “Basic civic participation is not a terrorist threat. The FBI treating it like one is yet another example of the Trump regime’s profound contempt for even the most rudimentary of democratic freedoms.”

Government offers no proof of extremist allegations

The memo did not include evidence or details to substantiate claims that the activists promoted violence. Courtwatch efforts have consistently remained nonviolent. The FBI did not respond to questions regarding whether it continues to access the group.

Immigration court hearings, run by the Department of Justice (DoJ), are public, and attendees are not required to register in advance.

It remains unclear which organizations were specifically targeted. Various grassroots groups and immigrant rights coalitions have contributed to courtwatch efforts in New York and other cities as arrests by DHS have increased.

In June, Brad Lander was arrested by ICE inside an immigration courthouse while accompanying a local resident. He criticized the surveillance, saying the “FBI surveillance tactic is ripped straight out of the J Edgar Hoover playbook.”

A DoJ spokesperson declined to address the FBI’s actions but commented, “After four years of the Biden administration forcing immigration courts to implement a de facto amnesty for hundreds of thousands of aliens, this Department of Justice is restoring integrity to our courts and will continue to enforce federal immigration law to protect national security and public safety.”

Pattern of government surveillance on activism

Spencer Reynolds, a civil liberties advocate and former DHS intelligence counsel, said the FBI’s report reflects a wider government trend of criminalizing dissent. He referenced past statements by federal officials, ICE arrests of people recording agents, and Trump’s order designating “antifa” as a domestic terrorist group.

“The US government is turning these powerful national security agencies towards critics and people who are standing up for the rights of immigrants, and while it’s so shocking to see something like this, it’s not surprising,” Reynolds said.

“These activities, and public access to our courts, are lawful and protected by our rights in the US Constitution, yet routinely we’re seeing federal officials portray efforts to obtain basic accountability as threats.”

Reynolds compared the FBI’s current methods to its surveillance of the civil rights movement and Muslim communities post-9/11. He warned that such operations risk undermining trust among activists, “There is a significant risk of chilling and undermining these sorts of private discussion environments.”