A GOP senator says anti-ICE protests look grassroots, but claims something far bigger is hiding behind them

Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is calling on the Department of Justice to investigate anti-ICE protest organizations, arguing they are not the organic grassroots movements they claim to be. As highlighted by Fox News, Hawley sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi requesting a formal probe into what he described as a coordinated national effort.

In the letter, Hawley said recent information suggests the protests are being substantially financed and professionally organized by wealthy left-wing groups. He argued that the organizations involved use layered nonprofit pass-through entities, fiscal sponsorship arrangements, and temporary grassroots fronts to obscure funding sources, donor identities, and who is directing operations.

Hawley claimed that the scale, geographic simultaneity, messaging uniformity, and logistical sophistication of the protests do not align with spontaneous domestic advocacy. Some of the sharp online political shifts highlighted in recent coverage of Trump’s social media tirade against a governor also show how rapidly organized messaging can influence public perception.

The protests raise red flags beyond local activism

Hawley argued that if foreign entities are tied to the funding mechanisms, the activity could violate federal prohibitions on foreign influence. He also suggested the structure of the alleged funding schemes could meet the threshold for racketeering under federal statutes. This comes amid other concerns echoed in discussions around the recent DOJ access reversal about thousands of Jeffrey Epstein files.

The senator’s request comes amid unrest linked to anti-ICE activity in multiple cities, including Portland, California, and Minneapolis. In Minneapolis, protesters were reportedly seen setting up a makeshift street checkpoint to stop vehicles and attempt to identify federal agents, an incident Hawley cited as evidence of heightened public safety risks.

Hawley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Crime, said the scope of the activity warrants immediate attention from the DOJ due to national security and public safety concerns. Federal officials indicated that parts of the activity may already be under investigation. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Tuesday that the DOJ is uncovering a large underground fraud network in Minneapolis, which he suggested helped fuel the sudden and coordinated push to remove ICE from the city.

Blanche said the DOJ encountered strong resistance when attempting to intervene in the fraud operation, noting that investigators are making progress tracing related funding streams but that the effort will take time.