A former FBI intelligence analyst has alleged that President Trump ordered the FBI to launch unconstitutional investigations into immigration enforcement protesters from the Los Angeles area, according to a whistleblower report made public Tuesday by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.).<\/p>\n
The analyst also contended that substantial FBI resources were diverted to such probes, and that she was retaliated against for questioning their legality.<\/p>\n
The White House and the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles both denied the allegations.<\/p>\n
Jill Fields, a former supervisory intelligence analyst based in L.A., said in a letter addressed to Congress from her attorneys that she was told Trump had ordered FBI Director Kash Patel to launch the probes after seeing a social media video of protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations in Alhambra in February 2025. <\/p>\n
Fields said an initial assessment \u201cdetermined that the protesters\u2019 actions \u2014 video recording, use of a megaphone, and verbal objection \u2014 were constitutionally protected under the First Amendment and never crossed the line into impeding arrest or being a threat,\u201d but that she and others were nonetheless directed to open investigations.<\/p>\n
She said that a supervisor \u2014 whose name was redacted in the released report \u2014 said the investigation was moving forward because \u201cthe President wants this investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Separately, Fields alleged that she was informed that then-Acting Deputy Atty. Gen. Emil Bove \u2014 Trump\u2019s former lawyer and now a federal appellate court judge \u2014 had instructed FBI leaders in Los Angeles to investigate \u201cany anti-ICE and CBP protesters demonstrating at federal buildings in Los Angeles,\u201d which surprised her because \u201cinvestigations against protestors solely for First Amendment activity are explicitly illegal and contrary to FBI policy.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said she refused to participate and isn\u2019t sure if the investigations were formally launched, but that she \u201cobserved that personnel and analytical resources were immediately diverted from ongoing criminal investigations to address the Alhambra matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fields said she was reassigned after taking her concerns beyond her direct chain of command, and ultimately resigned.<\/p>\n
She alleges that the conduct \u201chad significant consequences for constitutional rights, and the integrity and effective operation of the FBI,\u201d and that her reassignment \u201ccreated a chilling effect within the workforce\u201d by signaling to other employees that \u201craising constitutional or legal concerns could carry professional consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lauren Bis, a White House spokesperson, denied the allegations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe First Amendment does not protect violent rioting, obstructing law enforcement, and assaulting law enforcement. Assaulting and obstructing law enforcement is a crime,\u201d she said in a statement. \u201cThis administration has been clear: anyone who assaults or obstructs law enforcement will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.\u201d<\/p>\n
The FBI and the Justice Department said in a joint statement that under Trump, \u201cthe Department of Justice will continue to vigorously uphold the First Amendment rights of all Americans,\u201d but that \u201cviolence is not protected by the First Amendment\u201d and that \u201cpolitically motivated attacks will not deter us from doing our job.\u201d<\/p>\n
They said \u201cconspiracies to impede federal law enforcement and assaults on federal officers are against the law.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Los Angeles region was a hotbed of protest amid an intense immigration crackdown by the Trump administration last year.<\/p>\n
Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles have pursued a slew of criminal cases against protesters involved in those demonstrations, although many of the cases have been dismissed, reduced to misdemeanor charges or rejected by grand juries<\/a>. Legal experts have said the failure rate raised concerns about the strength of the cases being brought by First Assistant U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli, whose leadership of the Los Angeles prosecutors office without Senate confirmation is being challenged in court<\/a>, but high-ranking Justice Department officials have praised Essayli\u2019s work.<\/p>\n Essayli called Fields\u2019 claims false, including in response to a social media post Tuesday by Padilla recounting them. <\/p>\n \u201cThe FBI investigated those obstructing law enforcement and engaging in assault, such as punching and spitting (my office charged more than 100 individuals with such crimes),\u201d Essayli wrote. \u201cThere is no First Amendment right to violently resist federal officers enforcing immigration laws passed by Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n Padilla wrote a letter to Patel and U.S. Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche on Monday demanding answers to a slate of questions about Justice Department investigations of protesters, their origins and outcomes, and any involvement from the White House.<\/p>\n He wrote that Blanche and Patel have told Congress that \u201ccases would be based only on the facts and the law, free from political interference,\u201d but that the whistleblower report \u201cdepicts an FBI and DOJ willing to surveil individuals solely for First Amendment activity criticizing the Administration \u2014 at the behest of the White House and Trump loyalists, over the objection of senior staff, and in contravention of agency policy and the Constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n The video from Alhambra that Fields said she was told prompted Trump to demand investigations, and which Padilla shared, was posted to TikTok<\/a> by the League of United Latin American Citizens on Feb. 26, 2025. LULAC did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.<\/p>\n The video depicts protesters on megaphones calmly reminding others who appear to be the focus of nearby immigration enforcement about their legal rights and the fact that agents need a legitimate, court-issued warrant to enter their homes \u2014 and telling them not to open their doors if the agents don\u2019t have one.<\/p>\n