Anti-ICE protests in Minnesota and across the country may appear grassroots, but a “dark money” expert says the movement is being fueled by wealthy left-wing donors and activist networks.
An estimated 15,000 demonstrators gathered Friday at the “ICE Out” protest in Minneapolis, chanting “ICE out now” and calling for an end to immigration enforcement in the city.
According to a report by the New York Post, the protests are being backed and organized by leftist billionaires and affiliated organizations.
Scott Walter, president of Capital Research and an expert on political “dark money,” said his team believes a major source of funding is tied to the network of Neville Singham.
“My team’s best judgment is that it’s the Neville Singham network that is most active in Minnesota,” Walter said. “But they aren’t alone.”
Walter explained that Singham funds several activist groups, including the People’s Forum and the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Both organizations promoted the “ICE Out” protests on social media. The demonstrations were organized by another group known as 50501.
He noted that more established institutions have increasingly appeared alongside more radical groups.
“What’s new is we are seeing truly extreme Communist splinter groups showing up alongside an American Federation for Teachers union or the Ford Foundation,” Walter said, referring to the American Federation of Teachers and the Ford Foundation.
Walter called the trend troubling.
“That’s a disturbing trend for us who follow these things,” he said. “Normally, they wouldn’t have been publicly associated with those groups.”
He added that ideological self-policing on the left appears to be weakening.
“That kind of self-policing on the left seems to be disappearing,” Walter said.
According to the report, Singham has become a major financial supporter of left-wing activist networks that often operate through interconnected organizations.
“They work together through Byzantine networks of understanding,” Walter said. “An average protester might only vaguely understand the Neville Singham network but will be friends with people in several other groups.”
He said activists often belong to multiple organizations as groups frequently reorganize under new names.
“He probably belongs to half a dozen groups,” Walter said, “because their organizations are constantly metastasizing.”
Members of the House Oversight Committee and other lawmakers are now investigating whether Singham’s financial support could constitute foreign influence or violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
The inquiry is focused on whether overseas funding or coordination is playing a role in domestic political activism tied to immigration protests.
As demonstrations continue nationwide, critics argue that the growing influence of wealthy donors and opaque funding networks raises serious questions about transparency and political accountability.
