Former FBI analyst alleges pressure to investigate Los Angeles protesters

A former FBI supervisor alleges that Trump administration officials pressed the bureau to investigate Los Angeles protesters despite warnings that their conduct was protected by the First Amendment, according to a whistleblower complaint sent to Senate Judiciary Committee leaders.

Jill Fields, a former supervisory intelligence analyst in the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, described directives involving protests against immigration enforcement near federal buildings and in a residential area in early 2025. She has asked Congress and the Justice Department’s watchdog to investigate whether officials violated protesters’ rights to free speech and peaceful assembly, her attorneys said.

Fields alleges that Emil Bove, then acting deputy attorney general, told Akil Davis, the head of the field office, to open an investigation into activity outside federal buildings. Fields considered the activity protected speech, and several FBI employees raised concerns about the legality of the request, according to The Guardian.

A separate directive followed a video of protesters in Alhambra, California, using megaphones to alert residents to immigration officers and advise them of their legal rights. The protesters encouraged residents not to open their doors unless agents had signed judicial warrants, according to NBC News. Fields alleges that President Donald Trump saw the video and that the White House instructed FBI Director Kash Patel to have the Los Angeles office investigate the protesters.

Fields’s team had already reviewed the conduct and found insufficient grounds to open an investigation, according to the complaint. A colleague whose name was redacted told her one would be opened because “the president wants this investigation,” the complaint says. Fields said she did not know whether a formal investigation was ultimately opened because she was excluded after refusing to participate.

According to The Guardian, Fields alleges that a 10-agent “dedicated immigration squad” was formed. Some agents were taken off active cartel cases, she said. When she questioned the move, a supervisor described it as “optics” intended to “make a show for the president.” Fields said she knew of no national security threat or federal crime that would have justified investigating the protesters at the time.

Fields also alleges that supervisors were told not to put directives in writing. She resigned after being informed she would be removed from leading three programs, a decision she believes was retaliation for raising concerns internally. A letter from her attorneys said the actions “created a chilling effect within the workforce.”

White House spokesperson Lauren Bis called the allegations “false” in a statement to The Guardian and said the First Amendment does not protect violent rioting or assaults on law enforcement. The FBI and Justice Department said in a joint statement that they would uphold First Amendment rights but had a responsibility to investigate possible federal crimes. “Violence is not protected by the First Amendment,” they said.

Sen. Alex Padilla, a California Democrat, called the allegations “deeply alarming.” In a letter to Patel and Attorney General Todd Blanche, he requested records and answers about the reported investigations, including whether they led to arrests and how many remain open.