At Least One Minnesota UU Church Secretly Surveilled by Federal Government, Court Records Reveal
First Universalist Church was among the community groups targeted in a U.S. Department of Homeland Security undercover operation.
A Minneapolis Unitarian Universalist congregation says it is even more committed to showing up for its neighbors and opposing government intimidation after learning that agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security secretly spied on a gathering there.
First Universalist Church of Minneapolis is among five Minnesota churches, as well as labor unions and community organizations, that were secretly surveilled by DHS in a wide-ranging undercover operation that started as early as last winter and accelerated after federal agents killed Renée Good and Alex Pretti in January, according to documents filed in federal court on August 13.
In the case of First Universalist, a DHS investigation report revealed that undercover federal agents attended a December 13, 2025, meeting at the church hosted by Sunrise Movement, a climate justice group, entitled “How to Stop ICE and Build a Revolution.”
“That’s what we know for sure, but there might be more” instances of surveillance at the church, Rev. Jen Crow, senior minister of First Universalist, told UU World. “We just don’t know.”
Indeed, although the DHS report noted that Sunrise Movement described itself as a nonviolent group and that a trainer advised against doxxing ICE agents, it nonetheless advised that “further attendance was determined to be necessary to rule out violations of law.”
UU World reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, which is handling press inquiries related to DHS operations there. A spokesperson told UU World there are currently no comments about this matter forthcoming.
The congregation’s response this week to the news of the surveillance is “a strengthened commitment to keep on showing up for our neighbors and telling truth about this kind of intimidation and tactics and government overreach,” Crow said.
On August 20 the Unitarian Universalist Association issued a statement denouncing the surveillance, saying, among other things, “Free societies protect houses of worship; they do not spy on them. Healthy democracies understand that the right of citizens to dissent from the state is a part of maintaining that sacred form of self-governance; unhealthy ones murder people in the streets when they are merely exercising those rights. As such, the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) condemns the actions of this administration in secretly spying on at least one of our congregations, the First Universalist Church of Minneapolis.”
It added, “We are in this together both as UUs and in courageous, unapologetic collaboration with other progressive people of faith and conscience.”
Crow emphasized that there was no need for the government to spy on First Universalist, since it has always been very public about its social justice work.
“What we are doing today is consistent with who we’ve been for forty years,” Crow said. As the congregation rises to Meet the Moment, “part of what I see in this is that we are consistently living our values and consistently clear about love being at the center of who we are and what we do … We are not surprised and we are not daunted because we are clear about who we are and what we do.” At the same time, she added, “we don’t want to be cavalier and nonchalant because even though it’s become the norm, it is not normal, and I don’t want to lose that.”
Crow believes First Universalist became a target because it hosted Know Your Rights and rapid response trainings in the fall and winter, which were presented by Monarca Rapid Response Line, which is one of nearly twenty organizations that DHS claims was part of a conspiracy to impede federal operations, according to DHS reports. The Monarca trainings are run by Unidos MN, an immigrant-led, statewide organization building power with Minnesota’s working families, which First Universalist has partnered with for a year. First Universalist will continue to work closely with Unidos as it pivots to democracy defense and election protections, Crow said.
In the face of the news about government surveillance, Unidos will “double down,” said Unidos Communications Director Luis Argueta Jr. “We’re continuing to hold trainings, we’re continuing to practice our constitutional rights, and we’re continuing to organize community … By being proactive and organizing community and making sure people know what roles to take when crisis hits, we’re so much more prepared.”
The surveillance operation came to light through a motion filed by a defense attorney representing one of the Minnesota 15, a group of fifteen activists indicted in June on federal charges of conspiracy for allegedly interfering with ICE operations in that state. The motion included excerpts from reports by undercover agents, descriptions of encrypted messages they sent, and copies of subpoenas issued by the government. The defense motion asserts that these records are incomplete, and it seeks more information it says the government is illegally withholding.
None of the groups targeted by DHS—which includes four other churches in addition to First Universalist, as well as the AFL-CIO and other labor unions and Vets for Peace—have been charged with any crimes, although DHS claimed in testimony to a grand jury that they were involved in a conspiracy to impede federal officers.
“This case involves an unprecedented campaign by DHS to spy on Minnesotans,” the defense motion states. “During Operation Metro Surge, undercover agents posing as protesters surveilled community meetings at churches, parks, libraries, schools, and union halls. These agents surreptitiously recorded dozens of conversations with ordinary people who were simply exercising their First Amendment right to protest ICE’s lawless rampage in our state.” DHS also secretly obtained the financial records of several national labor unions including Communications Workers of America and social justice non-profits including Voices for Racial Justice, “all with zero criminal predicate to do so,” the motion states.
