{"id":2567538,"date":"2026-02-07T17:36:43","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T22:36:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/this-is-why-they-mask-anti-ice-task-force-is-reportedly-using-military-grade-surveillance-methods\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T17:41:37","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T22:41:37","slug":"this-is-why-they-mask-anti-ice-task-force-is-reportedly-using-military-grade-surveillance-methods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/this-is-why-they-mask-anti-ice-task-force-is-reportedly-using-military-grade-surveillance-methods\/","title":{"rendered":"This Is Why They Mask: Anti-ICE Task Force Is Reportedly Using Military-Grade Surveillance Methods"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthis-is-why-they-mask-anti-ice-task-force-is-reportedly-using-military-grade-surveillance-methods%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2567538&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A Fox News investigation reveals that anti-ICE activists are increasingly using military-style surveillance and intelligence tactics to monitor and impede immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The report identifies a nationwide network of more than 200 anti-ICE groups employing encrypted messaging and a structured method known as SALUTE (Size, Activity, Location, Uniform, Time, Equipment) to log and report on federal agents\u2019 movements and actions.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; These groups reportedly funnel sensitive information into at least 13 advanced databases, including license plate data, locations, photos, uniforms, and even personal contact details of federal officials.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The operation is organized through about 18 regional hubs, concentrated in Democratic-led states and major cities, which manage data flow, verification, and reporting for the broader network.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Jill Garvey, co-founder of a group called States at the Core and funded by the Hopewell Fund, has touted the program as organized surveillance and claimed tens of thousands of trained volunteers, describing participants as \u201crapid responders.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Federal authorities, including the FBI, have begun scrutinizing these activities, with investigations into the use of encrypted messaging to interfere with law enforcement, highlighting concerns about national security risks.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Experts quoted in the piece warn that such civilian intelligence networks\u2014sometimes likened to HUMINT collectors\u2014could pose significant dangers to federal agents and the integrity of enforcement operations.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>One of the most vocal rebukes you&rsquo;ll hear from the anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement critics is that law enforcement shouldn&rsquo;t be wearing masks.<\/p>\n<p>An ominous report from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/anti-ice-digital-minutemen-use-military-grade-surveillance-tactics-against-feds\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox News<\/a>, however, may spell out exactly why ICE operates more clandestinely than your rank-and-file law enforcement.<\/p>\n<p>According to the outlet, anti-ICE groups have been using military-style surveillance techniques to both impede and keep an eye on immigration enforcement officials.<\/p>\n<p>Only days after FBI Director Kash Patel announced an investigation into anti-ICE activists using encrypted messaging to interfere with the law enforcement agency, Jill Garvey &mdash; the co-founder of a group called &ldquo;States at the Core&rdquo; &mdash; appeared on a Zoom webinar to instruct new recruits she described as &ldquo;rapid responders.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The training centered on a method known as SALUTE, a military-style intelligence checklist that stands for Size, Activity, Location, Uniform, Time, and Equipment. In practice, it&rsquo;s a structured way to catalog and report details about a target&rsquo;s movements and behavior.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Garvey pitched the program as a form of organized surveillance aimed at federal agents, whom she had recently called &ldquo;mercenaries&rdquo; in a separate interview.<\/p>\n<p>During the session, she encouraged participants to see themselves as part of a coordinated effort, framing the work in overtly operational terms rather than as casual observation.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We are all ICE Watch,&rdquo; Garvey proclaimed, adding that her organization &mdash; funded by the Hopewell Fund, a Democrat-aligned dark-money group &mdash; has trained roughly 40,000 people over the past year.<\/p>\n<p>The scale of that claim, paired with the tactics being taught, has only intensified scrutiny from federal authorities already wary of how these networks are operating.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">EXCLUSIVE: Inside the shadow network tracking federal agents. &#129525;<\/p>\n<p>A Fox News Digital investigation has uncovered a nationwide web of more than 200 anti-ICE organizations using military-grade intelligence tactics to track law enforcement.<\/p>\n<p>From encrypted Signal chats to&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/exi2HSngFn\">pic.twitter.com\/exi2HSngFn<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fox News (@FoxNews) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FoxNews\/status\/2019511618845995245?\">February 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Fox News investigated other, similar groups, and eventually concluded that these groups belong to a sprawling national network of more than 200 anti-ICE outfits working to assemble a civilian intelligence and &ldquo;rapid response&rdquo; apparatus &mdash; one that recruits, trains, and deploys volunteers as on-the-ground spotters, uses the SALUTE framework to log information on federal agents they label as the &ldquo;enemy,&rdquo; and in doing so, raises serious concerns about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-no-new-proactive-step-on-tiktok-deal-under-biden\/\" title=\"White House: No New \u2018Proactive Step\u2019 on TikTok Deal Under Biden\">potential national security risks<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The outlet added, &ldquo;In intelligence circles, they would be called &lsquo;collectors&rsquo; in the craft of &lsquo;human intelligence, or &lsquo;HUMINT.&rsquo;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Fox News reported that these nationwide efforts funnel information on the movements of law enforcement and immigration officials into at least 13 advanced databases.<\/p>\n<p>Those <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >systems reportedly hold highly sensitive material<\/a>, ranging from license plate numbers and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bipartisan-ags-suing-google-alleging-deceptive-practices-tracking-users-without-consent\/\" title=\"Bipartisan AGs Suing Google, Alleging \u2018Deceptive Practices,\u2019 Tracking Users Without Consent\">time-stamped location data<\/a> to details about uniforms, photographs, and observed behavior.<\/p>\n<p>In at least one concerning instance, the stored records also include the names,  addresses, and phone numbers of federal officials.<\/p>\n<p>The broader operation is said to run through a network of no fewer than 18 regional hubs spread across the country, concentrated largely in Democratic-led states and major cities.<\/p>\n<p>Those centers handle the flow of information, oversee verification, and coordinate reporting, effectively serving as the clearinghouses for the entire system.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is mind-blowing,&rdquo; retired U.S. Army Green Beret Eric Schwalm told Fox News. &ldquo;We have an entire nation of collectors against our country&rsquo;s law enforcement.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s extremely dangerous.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a concise paraphrase of the main points:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Critics say law enforcement shouldn\u2019t wear masks, but Fox News reports that anti-ICE groups have used military-style surveillance to hinder and monitor ICE.<br \/>\n&#8211; After FBI Director Kash Patel announced an investigation into encrypted messaging among anti-ICE activists, Jill Garvey of States at the Core talked in a Zoom session about \u201crapid responders.\u201d The training centers on the SALUTE method (Size, Activity, Location, Uniform, Time, Equipment) to systematically log a target\u2019s movements and behavior.<br \/>\n&#8211; Garvey framed the program as organized surveillance of federal agents, calling participants \u201cICE Watch,\u201d and claimed her organization has trained about 40,000 people in the past year, funded by the Hopewell Fund.<br \/>\n&#8211; Fox News Digital traced a nationwide network of more than 200 anti-ICE groups using military-style intelligence tactics to track law enforcement, forming a civilian intelligence and rapid-response operation that recruits, trains, and deploys volunteers as on-the-ground spotters and uses the SALUTE framework to log information about agents they call the \u201cenemy.\u201d<br \/>\n&#8211; The groups reportedly feed data into at least 13 advanced databases containing sensitive materials, including license plates, time-stamped locations, details about uniforms, photos, observed behavior, and, in some cases, the names, addresses, and phone numbers of federal officials.<br \/>\n&#8211; The operation is said to run through at least 18 regional hubs, mostly in Democratic-led states and major cities, coordinating data flow, verification, and reporting.<br \/>\n&#8211; A former U.S. Army Green Beret called the system mind-blowing and extremely dangerous to the country\u2019s law enforcement.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019d like, I can tailor this to a shorter summary or a more formal rewrite<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2567539,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-02-05T223016.995.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[50072,73287,14429],"class_list":["post-2567538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-anti-ice","tag-military-grade-surveillance","tag-surveillance"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-02-05T223016.995.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2567538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2567538"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2567538\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2567542,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2567538\/revisions\/2567542"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2567539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2567538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2567538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2567538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}