08/20/2026
Veterans For Peace (VFP) is not surprised by news reports that our Twin Cities VFP Chapter 27,* along with activists and organizations associated with Direct Action Minnesota (DAMN), was targeted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for surveillance. The Trump regime has repeatedly shown itself to be lawless and to have no respect for truth or the well-being of people in our country or around the world.
This latest attack on civil society organizations includes teachers, state government and small-business workers, and veterans, all of whom were exercising their constitutional right to protest against the state-sponsored terror of violent, racist ICE attacks in their community.
The DHS surveillance operation, dubbed Operation Puppet Master, sent undercover agents into houses of worship, libraries, schools, and union halls, and obtained organizations' financial records. It is yet another example of how the current regime tramples the Constitution. While spying on protected speech, DHS is blocking investigations into the killings of Alex Pretti and Rene Good at the hands of its own agents.
As veterans who pledged to defend the Constitution, we have an obligation to speak out against violations of people's rights, and we will continue to do so. These repressive tactics, which are intended to intimidate and instill fear, only strengthen our resolve. We are not afraid. We support Minneapolis Veterans For Peace in its efforts. We call on all our chapters and members to protect one another and defend our neighbors from illegal and unconstitutional attacks by an out-of-control government.
These domestic attacks are coinciding with an illegal and deeply unpopular war against Iran, heightened U.S. intervention against Venezuela and Cuba, and attempts to undermine the integrity of upcoming midterm elections. We call on people across the nation to join together to oppose authoritarian repression in the U.S., to defend our elections, and to resist U.S. militarism around the globe, including the huge proposed increase in the already bloated Pentagon budget.
PEACE AT HOME, PEACE ABROAD!
