A network of left-wing activist groups opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minnesota has received millions of dollars in backing from a Soros family nonprofit.
The discovery is raising fresh questions about who is funding the protests that have repeatedly disrupted the state in recent weeks.
An independent analysis found that sixteen anti-ICE activist groups in Minnesota have received a combined $3,321,013 in funding and non-cash assistance since 2014 from the Headwaters Foundation for Justice.
The Minneapolis-based nonprofit is funded by the Soros family’s Open Society Foundations (OSF).
OSF was founded by radical billionaire George Soros and is now led by his son and heir Alex.
The funding has underwritten efforts to monitor, protest, and interfere with ICE enforcement, including a January 23 demonstration at Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport that resulted in approximately 100 arrests after protesters blocked roadways and violated permit conditions, according to police.
Headwaters did not respond to requests for comment.
Among the recipients are Jewish Community Action ($183,013), Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha ($1,085,750), and Unidos MN ($90,250), according to reporting by The Daily Caller.
Many of these organizations helped coordinate “ICE Out” marches held statewide on January 23.
Open Society Foundations donated $300,000 to Headwaters in 2020 alone.
During the airport protest, Emma Kippley-Ogman, a board member of Jewish Community Action, was among those arrested.
In a subsequent op-ed, she wrote:
“We cannot keep on with business as usual when our federal government is engaged in escalating state terror right here, right now.”
Other Headwaters-funded groups are planning additional resistance activities.
Unidos MN has promoted upcoming “healthcare worker resistance training” sessions intended to teach medical staff how to shield patients during ICE searches.
Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha has urged supporters to call a hotline if employers threaten consequences for skipping work to attend protests.
The activism has coincided with escalating violence.
On January 23, the Indigenous Protector Movement posted on Instagram stating, “Federal agents shot and killed a man this morning,” while requesting supplies such as gas masks and legal observer vests.
The group recently received $10,000 from Headwaters.
Earlier, on January 7, anti-ICE activist Renee Good was fatally shot by a federal agent while ramming him with her vehicle.
She was volunteering with MN ICE Watch, according to reports.
The Indigenous Protector Movement did not comment on either incident.
Several Headwaters-funded organizations are also training individuals to surveil ICE operations.
COPAL and MN8 have organized “legal observer” programs designed to follow immigration agents and document enforcement actions.
Headwaters awarded $360,000 to MN8 and $10,000 to COPAL as recently as January 2026.
Another recipient, Gender Justice, which received $62,500, is soliciting reports of alleged misconduct by ICE agents, including claims of slurs and misgendering.
The group has encouraged individuals to submit “gender-based” complaints for potential legal action.
Additional Headwaters funding has flowed to groups focused on Somali migrant communities, including CAIR Minnesota ($140,000) and Ayada Leads ($280,000).
These efforts overlap with public opposition to ICE voiced by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who has repeatedly criticized federal immigration enforcement.
Headwaters announced $120,000 in new grants last week and continues to frame the protests as a moral cause, even as critics argue the funding has fueled obstruction of federal law enforcement and contributed to dangerous confrontations.
With millions of dollars flowing into organized anti-ICE activism, Minnesota has become a case study in how philanthropic networks can bankroll sustained resistance to federal immigration enforcement.
The situation has led to mounting consequences for public safety, law enforcement, and the rule of law.
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