Report accuses Democratic Socialists of America parroting foreign adversary propaganda to attack ICE and delegitimize U.S. government

A new report claims that the Democratic Socialists of America, or DSA, is using messages that match the propaganda from hostile foreign governments. The report was put together by the Network Contagion Research Institute, a nonprofit based in Princeton, New Jersey. It says the DSA is taking part in “narrative convergence,” pushing talking points that cause unrest at home and weaken state institutions while helping countries like China, Cuba, and Venezuela.

The House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing on Tuesday to look into this alleged “malign foreign influence” in U.S. nonprofits. This is a serious concern for U.S. security, especially since the DSA has gained political power, including the election of longtime member Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City.

Adam Sohn, co-founder of the Network Contagion Research Institute, says the pattern is obvious. “The same rhetoric used to attack America abroad gets recycled at home to attack American law enforcement. Different stage, same script,” he said. According to Fox News, Sohn will testify at the hearing, which is titled “Foreign Influence in American Non-profits: Unmasking Threats from Beijing and Beyond.”

The DSA’s tactics mirror foreign adversary propaganda against American institutions

The report shows how the DSA uses the same “anti-legitimacy frame” for both domestic law enforcement and U.S. foreign policy. During a march in Washington, D.C., DSA members carried signs that said “SOCIALISM BEATS FASCISM,” comparing the Trump administration to fascism. The report argues this language copies the words of foreign adversaries.

The DSA has recently focused on Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. After federal agents working with ICE killed Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti, the DSA immediately called the incident a “murder.” One DSA National Political Committee member named Andrew flew in from Colorado to protest, saying “We are going to beat the Trump administration.”

This talk quickly led to organized action. The local chapter held training on personal protective equipment to use against what they openly called “the pigs.” Members then shut down a Target store in Minneapolis’s Dinkytown neighborhood. In Boston, protesters compared ICE to Hitler’s Gestapo, with one demonstrator wearing a DSA hat and holding a sign showing an eagle similar to the Nazi logo with “ICE” written on it.

The researchers say the DSA is part of a larger network funded by tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham, a self-styled Marxist-Leninist living in Shanghai. They have been training members as “rapid responders” who follow law enforcement movements. The situation escalated when former CNN host Don Lemon faced federal agents while covering anti-ICE protests.

Since 2021, the DSA has sent six delegations to countries like Venezuela, Cuba, and China. These trips included meetings with senior regime officials, including Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro. After these trips, the organization engaged in advocacy that directly helped the foreign regimes’ goals. The report found the DSA is pushing a narrative that “absolutely converges with the interests of Venezuela, Cuba and China,” using slogans like “No ICE, No War.”

The pressure from protesters and lawmakers demanding accountability from immigration agents led to major changes in Minneapolis. Because of this pattern, the NCRI concludes the organization “exhibits multiple indicators” that warrant registration under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.