The FBI director confirmed this week that his agency is investigating after independent journalist Cam Higby leaked what he described as encrypted chats from the Signal messaging app showing local groups coordinating efforts to track and obstruct U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
The chats show activists collecting license plate data, dispatching mobile patrols to search for ICE vehicles, and mobilizing crowds, according to Higby. The groups also provide ICE observer training to members, Higby explained.
🧵🚨 MINNEAPOLIS SIGNAL INFILTRATED
I have infiltrated organizational signal groups all around Minneapolis with the sole intention of tracking down federal agents and impeding/assaulting/and obstructing them.
BUCKLE UP ALL WILL BE REVEALED
Each area of the city has a signal… pic.twitter.com/ATSHlCucWv
— Cam Higby 🇺🇸 (@camhigby) January 24, 2026
The Department of Homeland Security has reported a more than 1,300% increase in assaults on ICE personnel and a 3,200% surge in vehicular attacks recently.
🚨🚨 Here is the entire TRAINING MANUAL for domestic terrorist patrols chasing ICE agents in Minneapolis.
Keep in mind, this is the watered down opsec version.
MUST READ ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/rUMAJPOxUG
— Cam Higby 🇺🇸 (@camhigby) January 25, 2026
Many speculated online that the Signal handle of “Flan Southside” in one of the chats may belong to Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, though Flanagan’s office said in a statement Monday to The Washington Times that the Signal account is not hers. “It’s not true,” her spokesperson said.
Leaked messages purportedly show group members panicking, with one participant stating, “Flan has been exposed. We’re all f—ed. I need to leave this state,” followed by discussions of fleeing the country.
A video of Flanagan shows her admitting to taking “ICE observer training” and encouraging others in the state to do so as well.
Here is Peggy telling people about the SIGNAL MOB CHAT! pic.twitter.com/rGTmWzNwa8
— 0HOUR1 (@0hour1) January 26, 2026
A screenshot of a Burnsville-focused group lists Alex Falconer as a participant. The description listed under his name reads “State Rep/Notary/GlutenFree Baker.” Alpha News reached out to State Rep. Alex Falconer for comment but did not receive a response.
Hey @MinnesotaDFL probably should let your boy Rep. Alex Falconer know he should get off these. pic.twitter.com/U7Muh56J5Q
— Elliott Engen (@elliottengenMN) January 27, 2026
According to The Washington Times, Amanda Koehler, a former strategist for Gov. Tim Walz, is an administrator for one of the Signal chat groups.
🧵🚨 MINNEAPOLIS SIGNAL INFILTRATED
Here is an admin list for several chats. These generally consist of code names. pic.twitter.com/DHmbiCEHgR
— Cam Higby 🇺🇸 (@camhigby) January 24, 2026
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-FLa., wrote on social media Monday: “I want to be crystal clear: if any individual, particularly elected officials or otherwise, helped plan, fund, coordinate, or cover up the violent insurrection happening now in Minneapolis, they should LAWYER UP NOW, because investigators are going to follow the facts wherever they lead.”
State Rep. Elliott Engen, R-White Bear Township, emphasized that the Signal chats and any potential donors to their activity need to be investigated, saying these groups are responsible for an increase in violence.
“They’re stoking enough fear, outrage, and mob mentality that would lead somebody to have these clashes with law enforcement that lead to bloodshed. This is a manufactured crisis,” Engen told Alpha News.
Engen referenced Flanagan’s denial of participation, saying, “It necessitates an investigation rather than just taking her word for it.”
The revelations from Higby have also sparked a federal probe. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed an active investigation in a recent interview on “The Benny Show.”
“We’re investigating. As soon as Higby put that post out, I opened an investigation on it, ” Patel stated. “If that leads to a break in the federal statute or a violation of some law, then we are going to arrest people. They should be worried.”
BREAKING: FBI Director Kash Patel CONFIRMS Full Investigations Are Active Into Left-Wing Terrorist Signal Chats in Minnesota, ‘They Should Be Worried.’
“We're investigating. As soon as Higby put that post out, I opened an investigation on it. If that leads to a break in the… pic.twitter.com/0qeI68AS8U
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 26, 2026
Fox News reported that a coordinated network of socialist, communist, and Marxist-Leninist organizations played a key role in escalating a Border Patrol operation in Minneapolis which ended in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti on Saturday.
According to the article, encrypted Signal chats used by anti-ICE “rapid responders” enabled real-time tracking of federal agents’ vehicles via a “MN ICE Plates” database containing thousands of entries, including license plate details and tags labeling agents as “Abductors.”
Pretti allegedly belonged to one of the Signal chat groups and suffered a broken rib during a separate confrontation with federal agents. Some anti-ICE groups in Minnesota have actively encouraged their followers to interfere with arrests.
Hayley Feland
Hayley Feland previously worked as a journalist with The Minnesota Sun, The Wisconsin Daily Star, and The College Fix. She is a Minnesota native with a passion for politics and journalism.
