Kash Patel Opens an FBI Investigation Into Minnesota Signal Chats That Track ICE

On January 26, 2026, FBI Director Kash Patel said he had opened an investigation into Signal group chats that Minnesota residents use to share information about federal immigration agents' movements. Speaking to conservative podcaster Benny Johnson, Patel said he wanted to know whether residents had put agents "in harm's way" by sharing details such as license plate numbers and locations, and that "if that leads to a break in the federal statute or a violation of some law, then we are going to arrest people." Patel said he got the idea from a January 24 post by conservative journalist Cam Higby, who said he had "infiltrated" Minneapolis-area Signal groups; NBC News said it had not verified Higby's claims.

The chats are part of a volunteer network used by parents, activists and neighborhood-watch members to relay real-time information near schools, with more than 3,000 federal immigration agents operating in Minnesota.

Aaron Terr of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression said there are "legitimate reasons to share such information, including enabling members of the public to observe and document law enforcement activity," and that "any investigation like this deserves very close scrutiny."