The University of Michigan has come under scrutiny following revelations that it hired private, undercover investigators to monitor pro-Palestinian student groups on and off campus, according to a report by The Guardian on Friday.
According to the report, these operatives trailed students, recorded their conversations, and staged confrontations in what students describe as intimidation tactics.
The investigation by The Guardian, based on interviews with students, video footage, and university spending records, revealed that the private security contractors are employed by Detroit-based City Shield, which has received at least $800,000 from the university’s regents between June 2023 and September 2024.
Evidence gathered by these operatives has reportedly been used by Michigan prosecutors to bring charges against students, though many cases were later dismissed, the report noted.
Katrina Keating, a member of Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE), a local chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, told The Guardian that the surveillance has made her constantly anxious.
“On another level, it sometimes feels comedic because it’s so insane that they have spent millions of dollars to hire some goons to follow campus activists around,” she said. “It’s just such a waste of money and time.”
Students testify on alleged activities of University of Michigan agents
Students described being followed by teams of investigators who often sit near them at cafes and bars, eavesdropping on conversations. The Guardian reviewed videos of these encounters, including one showing an investigator pretending to be disabled and falsely accusing a student of robbery.
Josiah Walker, another SAFE member, said he was forced to “counter-surveil” after noticing he was being followed by people recording him with their phones. In one incident, a car accelerated toward him in a university parking lot, forcing him to jump out of the way. “I thought to myself, ‘If this is how I go out, then this is how I go out, but it’s really unfortunate that this random group of people got me,’” Walker said. He later discovered that these individuals were not random bystanders, but likely undercover investigators.
Walker said he has been among the most heavily targeted, with at least 30 different people tailing him before he stopped counting. They even parked near a convenience store he frequents.
In one incident in July 2024, he captured video of a man pretending to have a limp during a protest and falsely accusing Walker of mocking people with disabilities, which can be seen in the original report. The same man was later seen pretending to be deaf and mute before abruptly speaking normally and insulting Walker.
The University of Michigan declined to deny the surveillance program. In a statement to The Guardian, a spokesperson said, “Any security measures in place are solely focused on maintaining a safe and secure campus environment, and are never directed at individuals or groups based on their beliefs or affiliations.” The spokesperson added that the university “does not condone or tolerate any behavior by employees or contractors that demeans individuals or communities, including those with disabilities.”
Walker also obtained University of Michigan police bodycam footage during a legal discovery process, which showed an officer reviewing what appeared to be a group chat labeled “U-M intel” containing videos of Walker on campus. A City Shield employee seen in the video declined to comment and referred questions to the company’s main office.
Walker said the surveillance program creates an “extraordinarily dangerous situation” because of the use of deceptive tactics and questionable methods. “The degree to which all these entities are willing to go to target me is amazing,” he told The Guardian. “Guys, this doesn’t make sense. What are you doing? Leave me alone.”
The university’s use of private investigators extends beyond surveillance, the report noted. Evidence obtained by City Shield has been used by prosecutors, including Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, to charge students with misdemeanors, charges that were later dropped in many cases.
In one instance, Henry MacKeen-Shapiro, another SAFE member, was accused of violating bond conditions based on a City Shield investigator’s claim that he had been on campus to post flyers. MacKeen-Shapiro denied the accusation, but still served four days in jail.
Lindsie Rank, director of campus rights advocacy at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, told The Guardian that the use of undercover private investigators is highly unusual in a university setting. “This certainly is not the best thing for a culture of free speech on campus,” she said. “It does cause a chilling effect.”
Students also reported an uptick in surveillance following recent raids by state and federal authorities in April 2024. “The way that the university is now responding to student activism with a massive expansion of surveillance, through plainclothes police officers, and the proliferation of security cameras, is very alarming,” MacKeen-Shapiro said.