Last summer, hundreds of people protested outside of an ICE facility in Spokane. They were trying to stop agents from taking two asylum seekers to an ICE detention center in Tacoma. 

As the day wore on and the protest grew in size, law enforcement ordered demonstrators to disperse… and then deployed pepper balls and smoke grenades on the crowd. The mayor issued a curfew. 

By the end of the evening, around 30 people were arrested.

But the government’s response didn't end there: A month later, federal prosecutors indicted nine Spokane protesters on felony conspiracy charges.   

In May, three of those protesters were found guilty of charges related to “conspiracy to impede” federal officers. They face up to six years in prison.

It’s an example of the escalating legal strategy the Trump Administration has been using to charge anti-ICE protesters across the country, most recently in Minnesota.  

And, according to new reporting, federal law enforcement turned to an atypical surveillance tactic to fuel the Spokane case.   

An investigation from Mother Jones found that the FBI secretly extracted data from protesters’ cellphones confiscated during last year’s protest. 

Guest: Schuyler Mitchell, an assistant editor at Mother Jones

Related links:
Public Records Show FBI Secretly Extracted Data From ICE Protesters’ Phones | Mother Jones
More than 30 arrested at immigration protest in Spokane sparked by arrest of 2 immigrants | The Spokesman-Review

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Last summer, hundreds of people protested outside of an ICE facility in Spokane. They were trying to stop agents from taking two asylum seekers to an ICE detention center in Tacoma.&nbsp;
As the day wore on and the protest grew in size, law enforcement ordered demonstrators to disperse&hellip; and then deployed pepper balls and smoke grenades on the crowd. The mayor issued a curfew.&nbsp;
By the end of the evening, around 30 people were arrested.
But the government&rsquo;s response didn't end there: A month later, federal prosecutors indicted nine Spokane protesters on felony conspiracy charges.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
In May, three of those protesters were found guilty of charges related to &ldquo;conspiracy to impede&rdquo; federal officers. They face up to six years in prison.
It&rsquo;s an example of the escalating legal strategy the Trump Administration has been using to charge anti-ICE protesters across the country, most recently in Minnesota.&nbsp;&nbsp;
And, according to new reporting, federal law enforcement turned to an atypical surveillance tactic to fuel the Spokane case.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
An investigation from Mother Jones found that the FBI secretly extracted data from protesters&rsquo; cellphones confiscated during last year&rsquo;s protest.&nbsp;
Guest: Schuyler Mitchell, an assistant editor at Mother Jones
Related links:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/06/cellebrite-phone-protest-ice-dhs-spokane-fbi-conspiracy-surveillance-privacy/">Public Records Show FBI Secretly Extracted Data From ICE Protesters&rsquo; Phones | Mother Jones</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/jun/11/protesters-including-former-city-council-president/">More than 30 arrested at immigration protest in Spokane sparked by arrest of 2 immigrants | The Spokesman-Review</a></li>
</ul>
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to <a href="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes">kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes</a>
Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

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Free speech advocates are worried about the tactic being used to investigate First Ammendment-protected activities.