In a Shocking revelations the FBI reportedly infiltrated a private, encrypted Signal group used by immigration courtwatch activists in New York City. This group, which simply observes public immigration hearings to ensure transparency, was labeled as “anarchist violent extremists” in a confidential FBI memo.
The memo quoted directly from private, encrypted messages — raising serious questions about privacy, civil liberties, and government overreach. Activists and civil rights advocates warn this is a chilling escalation: peaceful civic participation may now be treated as a national security threat.
In this video, we break down how the FBI allegedly accessed Signal messages, the context of courtwatch activism under the Trump administration, claims of “violent extremist” activity vs. evidence, and the broader implications for privacy, democracy, and free speech.
What happens to democracy when watching the government becomes grounds for investigation? This story raises urgent questions for activists, journalists, and anyone concerned about digital privacy and civil liberties.
Watch, share, and discuss — because transparency is more important than ever.
00:06According to records obtained by The Guardian,
00:08the FBI secretly accessed a private, encrypted signal group chat
00:13used by immigrants' rights activists in New York City.
00:16The group, known informally as Court Watch,
00:19organises volunteers to observe public hearings
00:22in the city's three federal immigration courts.
00:26A joint FBI-NYPD situational information report
00:30dated 28 August 2025
00:33and shared with The Guardian
00:35quotes directly from the group's private messages,
00:38despite Signal's end-to-end encryption.
00:41The report labels the Court Watchers as
00:43anarchist, violent extremist actors
00:45and was distributed to law enforcement agencies nationwide.
00:51The records, obtained by the Government Transparency Nonprofit Property of the People,
00:55show that the FBI claimed the intelligence came from a
00:59sensitive source with excellent access.
01:02But the report does not explain how that access was obtained,
01:06whether an informant was inside the group,
01:08a device had been compromised,
01:10or an undercover agent had joined the chat.
01:12According to the FBI memo cited by The Guardian,
01:22in late May, an unidentified individual participated in a debrief session via a signal call within the Court Watch Group.
01:31The report stated that the participants discussed improving future activities near federal facilities,
01:38including the immigration courts at 26 Federal Plaza, 201 Verrick Street and 290 Broadway.
01:48The FBI summarised that the Court Watchers shared tips on entering public courtrooms,
01:53such as which floors to visit and phrases like,
01:56I'm due at a 9.30 hearing.
01:58The memo also claimed the group emphasised collecting photos and videos of law enforcement officers,
02:04their badges, licence plates and the interiors of federal facilities.
02:10As per The Guardian report, it went further,
02:13asserting without evidence that the chat's organiser had previously instructed protest participants
02:19to use violence against law enforcement.
02:22The memo, however, provided no examples, no specifics and no supporting documentation.
02:36Court Watch activism surged in 2025 as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE,
02:42intensified arrests inside courthouses.
02:45The Guardian note that after Donald Trump took office,
02:49a directive issued the very next day permitted agents to detain immigrants attending routine hearings,
02:54reversing restrictions implemented under the Biden administration.
03:01Throughout the year, immigration judges across the country repeatedly dismissed cases during hearings,
03:06only for agents to arrest immigrants immediately afterward.
03:10A recent Associated Press investigation, cited by The Guardian,
03:15described these operations as deportation traps.
03:20One federal officer was even filmed pushing a woman to the ground inside a New York courthouse.
03:27Brad Lander, New York City's comptroller and a regular Court Watch participant
03:31who was himself arrested by ICE in June, condemned the FBI report.
03:36In comments to The Guardian, Lander said,
03:42This FBI surveillance tactic is ripped straight out of the J. Edgar Hoover playbook.
03:47The mission of Court Watch is to provide transparency and ensure people are not disappeared without due process.
03:53Surveillance and intimidation by Trump's corrupted Justice Department won't stop us from showing up to protect our neighbours and the rule of law.
04:01Dr. Ryan Shapiro of Property of the People called the surveillance yet another sign of what he described as the Trump administration's profound contempt for democratic freedoms.
04:16Civil Liberties Advocate Spencer Reynolds, formerly with DHS, told The Guardian that the report fits a wider pattern of the government criminalizing free speech.
04:25These activities and public access to our courts are lawful and protected by our rights in the U.S. Constitution.
04:32Yet routinely we're seeing federal officials portray efforts to obtain basic accountability as threats.
04:38Reynolds warned that the FBI's approach echoes historic abuses, from the infiltration of civil rights groups in the 1960s,
04:48to surveillance of Muslim communities after 9-11,
04:52and the risks creating distrust and chilling effects within the activist spaces.
04:59Key questions.
05:01However, remain unanswered as the FBI declined to comment.
05:05The Department of Homeland Security referred all questions back to the FBI.
05:10ICE, too, did not respond.
05:12And the New York City Police Department said the memo was not an NYPD document.
05:19It thus remains unclear which organisations were targeted.
05:24Whether the FBI or other agencies continue to have access to the encrypted chat,
05:29and if any, what legal authority was used to justify the intrusion.
05:33What is clear, based on the Guardian's reporting, is that a federal agency infiltrated a private group engaged in lawful, non-violent monitoring of public court proceedings.
05:46For many activists, it signals a chilling escalation.
05:50A warning that even basic civic participation may be treated as a national security threat.
05:55As the debate continues over the future of immigration enforcement and civil liberties in the United States,
06:03the surveillance of New York's Court Watch community raises a stark question.
06:08What happens to democracy when watching the government becomes grounds for investigation?
06:12What happens to democracy is for investigation?
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