A whistleblower has come forward to allege that the FBI investigated peaceful anti-ICE and border patrol protesters after they were ordered to do so by Donald Trump.
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In a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Todd Blanche, Sen. Alex Padilla wrote:
On October 5, 2026, my office received the attached protected whistleblower disclosure (the Disclosure) through the Government Accountability Project that reveals serious allegations of unconstitutional investigations by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) targeting protestors’ First Amendment activity.
According to the attached Disclosure, the White House, former and current DOJ leadership, and FBI leadership directed the Los Angeles FBI Field Office to open two different investigations in 2025 based solely on individuals’ participation in First Amendment activity—in violation of agency policy and constitutional protections. These investigations were opened following increased protests against aggressive immigration enforcement actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the Los Angeles area in early 2025. The Disclosure also alleges that the investigations pulled FBI employees and resources away from active cases involving drug trafficking, violent crime, and transnational criminal organizations. Although the whistleblower and others at the Los Angeles Field Office raised concerns that these investigations unlawfully targeted individuals for exercising their First Amendment rights, the investigations proceeded nevertheless.
The whistleblower alleges that Trump ordered an FBI investigation into the protesters after watching a TikTok video.