You remember the 2020 Minneapolis riots – the burning police stations, the $500 million in damage, the National Guard deployed.
Now those same networks are back, but this time they're using military-grade tactics to hunt federal agents.
And what the FBI just discovered inside their encrypted Signal chats has Democrats scrambling to delete everything.
What FBI Found Inside Anti-ICE Signal Chats Tracking Federal Agents
Journalist Andy Ngo infiltrated the Signal groups coordinating anti-ICE operations in Minneapolis.
What he found reads like an insurgency manual.
Administrators warning each other: "Never put anything in Signal you would not want read back in court."
Users purging suspected "right-wingers" and federal agents from the chats.
Auto-deleting messages enabled by default to destroy evidence.
One administrator using the name "Moss" spelled it out clearly.
They knew exactly what they were doing – and they knew it could land them in prison.
The paranoia inside these groups is off the charts.
After journalist Cam Higby exposed the operation on X, administrators started frantically vetting members and cross-referencing their histories.
One admin named "Spearow" tried reassuring nervous participants: "We're weeding out the trolls."
Another admin shot back: "So we should all trust you? Got it."
Within hours, users were accusing entire groups of being compromised and telling members to delete chats completely.
"Wait what? Are we compromised again?" one panicked participant asked.
Spearow got accused of being a "bad actor" and was booted from the group.
Classic behavior when a criminal conspiracy realizes law enforcement is watching.
Tim Walz Campaign Strategist Amanda Koehler Caught Running Encrypted Messaging Network
Amanda Koehler – a campaign strategist for Minnesota Governor Tim Walz – has been identified as one of the Signal group administrators.
She goes by the code name "HAH" in the chats.
The moment her identity went public, Koehler scrubbed her social media accounts and made her website private.
That's not what innocent community organizers do.
Minneapolis City Council Member Aurin Chowdhry has also been linked to the groups, though she hasn't confirmed involvement.
At least two other Democrat state officials – Representatives Brad Tabke and Alex Falconer – have been identified as coordinators.
Falconer publicly admitted he's in the Signal networks, telling supporters at campaign stops: "We've got a couple of groups on the app Signal that we would love for you to join."
The encrypted messages show "rapid responders" were actively tracking federal agents outside Glam Doll Donuts on Nicollet Avenue – exactly where Alex Pretti was shot and killed by ICE on January 24.
They logged at least 26 entries into a database called "MN ICE Plates" in the hours before and after the shooting, documenting license plate numbers and vehicle details of suspected ICE agents.
This wasn't protest coordination – this was a hunting operation.
Green Beret Veteran Identifies Minneapolis Signal Operation As Insurgency Infrastructure
Former Special Forces Chief Warrant Officer Eric Schwalm analyzed the Signal group structure.
His assessment: "What's unfolding in Minneapolis right now isn't 'protest.' It's low-level insurgency infrastructure, built by people who've clearly studied the playbook."
Schwalm saw organized resistance up close in Anbar and Helmand provinces.
He recognizes the pattern: spotters, disciplined communications, role specialization, and a willingness to absorb casualties.
"Replace 'ICE agents' with 'occupying coalition forces' and the structure maps almost 1:1 to early-stage urban cells we hunted in the mid-2000s," Schwalm wrote.
The most sobering part for him?
It's domestic.
"When your own citizens build this level of parallel intelligence and rapid-response network against federal officers – complete with doxxing, vehicle pursuits, and harassment that's already turned lethal – you're no longer dealing with civil disobedience," he explained.
"You're facing a distributed resistance that's learned the lessons of successful insurgencies."
Kash Patel Announces FBI Investigation Into Coordinated Anti-ICE Signal Groups
FBI Director Kash Patel announced Monday the bureau opened an investigation into the coordinated Signal groups.
"As soon as Higby put that post out, I opened an investigation on it," Patel told conservative commentator Benny Johnson.
"If that leads to a break in the federal statute or a violation of some law, then we are going to arrest people."
The FBI is examining whether the coordination violated federal law – including doxxing federal agents and making threats against officers and their families.
Patel was clear about the distinction: "You cannot create a scenario that illegally entraps and puts law enforcement in harm's way."
One ICE officer had his finger bitten off during an attack by anti-ICE militants.
Federal agents are getting pelted with food and spit at gas stations.
Videos show activists had already swarmed Glam Doll Donuts before the Pretti shooting – they knew ICE was there because someone in these Signal groups tipped them off.
This is exactly what the 2020 riots looked like in their planning stages – encrypted coordination, deliberately destroyed evidence, and Democrat politicians providing cover.
The difference is this time they left a digital trail the FBI can follow.
These Signal groups aren't just active in Minneapolis.
Ngo reports dozens of similar chats operate across Minnesota, with coordination extending to Reddit, Bluesky, and Instagram.
The network includes the ACLU, National Lawyers Guild, Democratic Socialists of America, and militant groups like Defend the 612 and Minnesota Anti-War Committee.
Training documents circulating in the chats explicitly instruct extremists on tracking ICE vehicle locations and minimizing legal accountability.
Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovina accused local officials of "collusion and corruption" with anarchists and says Minneapolis police refuse to respond when federal agents call for backup.
Minneapolis police say they have no record of any such requests.
Somebody's lying.
Governor Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey keep demanding ICE leave the state while this coordinated obstruction campaign puts federal agents in danger daily.
After 2020, Minneapolis became a testing ground for left-wing revolutionary tactics.
The Signal groups show those networks never disbanded – they just went underground and got smarter about encryption.
Now the FBI has to untangle which Democrat officials knew about the coordination, who was actively participating, and whether anyone can be charged with conspiracy to obstruct federal law enforcement.
Amanda Koehler's panicked social media scrubbing suggests she knows exactly how much trouble she's in.
When administrators are warning each other not to put anything in Signal they wouldn't want read in court, that's an admission they're committing crimes.
The question is whether the FBI can prove it before more evidence gets auto-deleted.
Sources:
- Andy Ngo, "I Got Inside the Signal Chats Used by Far-Left Extremists in Minnesota—Here's What I Saw," Ngo Comment, January 26, 2026.
- Ashley Carnahan, "FBI investigating Minnesota anti-ICE Signal group chats, Patel says," Fox News, January 27, 2026.
- Tyler Durden, "FBI Launches 'Signal-Gate' Investigation: Patel," ZeroHedge, January 26, 2026.
- "More problems for the Walz Admin?" Gazette Record, January 28, 2026.
- "Minnesota Insurrection: A Special Forces operator has seen this 'From Anbar to Helmand,'" Gazette Record, January 27, 2026.
