Sen Josh Hawley calls for DOJ probe into ‘organized’ anti-ICE protest funding

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., denounced what he described as anti-ICE agitators “posing” as grassroots organizations across the country Tuesday, urging the Justice Department to investigate what he said suggested it was in fact a “coordinated national operation.”

Hawley called for an investigation in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi obtained by Fox News Digital, saying there is evidence that the agitators are “substantially funded and professionally organized by wealthy left-wing organizations.”

“Recent reports indicate that these protests are neither spontaneous nor decentralized. Instead, they reflect a coordinated national operation supported by nonprofit intermediary entities, fiscal sponsorship deals, and short-lived ‘grassroots’ fronts designed to obscure the identities of donors, funding sources, and operational control,” Hawley wrote.

“The scale, geographic simultaneity, uniformity of messaging, and logistical sophistication of these operations strongly suggest centralized planning and funding inconsistent with national-level legal advocacy,” he continued.

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Sen. Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, calls for investigation into anti-ICE protesters. (Valérie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Hawley said that if foreign groups were linked to the alleged financing plans, it could violate “federal prohibitions on foreign influence.” He argued that such financing schemes could also amount to “racketeering”.

“Given the public safety and national security implications, the Department’s immediate attention is warranted. As Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime and the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Disaster Management, I respectfully request that the Department of Justice promptly initiate a full investigation into these financing networks,” Hawley wrote.

The DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

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Hundreds of people march from Portland City Hall to ICE facilities to protest the agency’s actions in Portland, Oregon on February 1, 2026. (Sean Bascom/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The letter comes as anti-ICE agitators have sparked unrest across the country, including in Minneapolis, Portland, California and elsewhere.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Tuesday that federal investigators had uncovered a “massive underground fraud ring” in Minneapolis that he said helped fuel a sudden, coordinated effort to drive ICE out of the city.

“We had massive fraud all over Minneapolis, all over Minnesota, and all of a sudden it turned around. It turned around almost in no time, and all of a sudden it became about ICE, getting ICE out and how horrible ICE was doing,” Blanche said Monday on “The Ingraham Angle.”

“[We had] a very strong reaction when we raised our hands and said “stop”, so, yes, we have several investigations It continues.”

Read Hawley’s full letter below (App users click here)

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Blanche also highlighted the financial dimensions of the case, noting that investigators are making “progress” in tracking down funding streams linked to the alleged network. Blanche said untangling these financial trails is a priority for federal law enforcement, although he did not name specific people or sources.

“It’s not something we’re going to do overnight,” he said. “But… it’s not just [a] It’s a coincidence that a massive number of protesters, rioters and agitators show up at the same time, and they attack what has been a profit center for fraudsters. »