January 27, 2026
Text, Lies & ICE
Kash Patel says FBI is investigating Signal chats of Minnesotans tracking ICE
FBI eyeing Minnesotans’ private chats; commenters shout “free speech crackdown”
TLDR: Kash Patel said the FBI is probing Minnesotans’ Signal group chats used to track immigration agents. Comments erupt over free speech and privacy, with many calling it unconstitutional while others warn metadata and phone searches could chill protest. Why it matters: this could set a surveillance precedent.
The internet absolutely combusted after FBI Director Kash Patel said he’s probing Minnesotans’ Signal group chats used to track immigration agents’ movements, per NBC News. This came right after Patel’s eyebrow-raising claim that you can’t bring loaded guns to protests—something Second Amendment folks loudly dispute—turning comment sections into a full-on firestorm.
The strongest mood? Outrage. Users insist tracking public officials in public is free speech, not a crime. One commenter blasted “federal goons,” saying citizens should document agents to deter abuse, while another raged that this is “unequivocally constitutionally protected” speech. Privacy hawks jumped in with a big reality check: even if Signal encrypts messages, your phone number and device can be enough to build a case, especially if phones are searched or unlocked.
Drama piled up fast: free speech vs. public safety; protest rights vs. government scrutiny. Hot takes framed it as a “chilling effect” on activism, especially after an ICE-related shooting in Minneapolis. Memes flew: “First Amendment, meet the Delete Key,” “Signal? More like Siren—everyone’s alarm is ringing,” and one sardonic jab: “From podcast to police state?” Whether you think the FBI is protecting order or policing dissent, the community is screaming that this investigation crosses a constitutional line—and might turn encrypted chats into the latest battleground over American protest rights.
Key Points
- •MaddowBlog reports that FBI Director Kash Patel said he opened an investigation into Signal group chats used by Minnesota residents to share information about federal immigration agents’ movements.
- •The investigation news follows a fatal shooting in which federal immigration officers shot and killed Alex Pretti.
- •Patel told Fox News that bringing a loaded firearm with multiple magazines to any protest is impermissible.
- •The article notes that Second Amendment advocates disputed Patel’s statement, citing armed participation in protests by conservative activists.
- •The piece frames Patel’s investigation as raising First Amendment concerns, contrasting with his earlier assurance that the FBI was not infringing on free speech.