FBI agents knocked on multiple doors in Provo, Utah on Friday, October 23, seeking three advocates connected to an anti-ICE group, according to a group statement. People of Provo Against ICE said the agents gave undisclosed reasons for the visits, which came after weeks of reporting on leaked audio and online messages allegedly tied to the group.
The group identified the three people sought as Venna Burkhardt, Collin Grannis and Chase Barrett, according to the group's own statement. As reported by Fight Back! News, FBI agent Mitchell Kutterer knocked on Burkhardt's door, while agent Nick Zollinger and a partner went to Grannis's home that same day. Barrett, the outlet reported, arrived home to find a pair of agents already sitting inside after his parents let them in.
The visits followed a string of reports on People of Provo Against ICE, a Utah anti-deportation group, according to the Denver Gazette. Leaked audio first reported by The Cougar Chronicle allegedly captured members discussing killing wealthy people described as the “one percent,” President Donald Trump, other right-wing politicians and their children, as reported by the Washington Examiner.
What the Leaked Audio Allegedly Shows
The Cougar Chronicle reported that the exclusive audio it obtained showed leaders of People of Provo Against ICE fantasizing about murdering their opposition along with their children, and putting MAGA supporters in re-education camps. In that same audio, the outlet reported that Venna Anne said, “No, unless we kill everybody,” when discussing how to escape capitalism, while Ashton Hirschi was reported to have initially said the group needed to kill “some” people before settling on a figure of 500.
Separately, leaked messages from the group's Discord server showed members praising artwork bearing the words “Shoot Trump,” including stickers that read “Shoot Trump Be a Hero” written on United States Postal Service postage stickers, according to The Cougar Chronicle's reporting. The outlet said its initial report on those stickers published on August 20, with a follow-up on September 3 describing audio of Collin Grannis discussing making entry “as uncomfortable as possible” for people trying to attend TPUSA's Charlie Kirk memorial event.
A Member's Detention by ICE
Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained a Venezuelan national tied to the group, identified by The Cougar Chronicle as Hector Mujica, who the outlet reported was arrested by ICE agents on October 16 and remained in custody as of its publication. The Cougar Chronicle reported that Mujica had distributed stickers reading “Be a hero, shoot Trump” at the group's meetups, a detail also reported by The Post Millennial.
Mujica had a GoFundMe campaign for his legal defense.
Group's Response and a Wider Pattern of Scrutiny
People of Provo Against ICE did not respond to the Washington Examiner's requests for comment, nor did the FBI's Salt Lake City office, according to that outlet's reporting. Fight Back! News, which is run by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, said the FBI's actions are meant to intimidate activists and that People of Provo Against ICE would continue resisting ICE regardless.
The Freedom Road Socialist Organization has its own history of law enforcement scrutiny. MPR News reported that the FBI raided the homes of six Minneapolis residents involved in anti-war activities in 2010, five of whom had ties to the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.
More recently, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization warned of an apparent FBI investigation in Florida. The organization alerts activists to FBI sightings and urges them not to answer questions, and Chrisley Carpio, identified as a member of the group, has urged activists not to talk to the FBI and to remain silent if confronted by agents, according to that reporting.
