by Jonathan Krall
In cities across our nation, people are confronting ICE officers. They show us, by acting, what it means to defeat hate with love. When brave people put their own bodies between kidnappers (ICE agents) and their targets, they demonstrate love. Love for community, love for national ideals, love for self. While individual acts of love might not stop ICE, collective acts can. When ICE is outnumbered, they have been known to back off. They say that you cannot defeat hate with hate, you must defeat hate with love. Now that we’ve seen how that works, we can prepare ourselves. You can too, one small step at a time.
Are you ready to stop ICE?
As we see in communities all over the USA, most recently in Minneapolis, we are in a battle for democracy, community, and equality under the law. People kidnapped by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) are not endangering themselves or the public. They are ordinary Americans on their way to work or school or to otherwise live their lives and take care of their families and their communities.
While some might not be US citizens, many of those targeted have been living here for many years. These kind people, who are with us in community but not in citizenship, are evidence of a nation in disrepair. Working together, we can repair the America that stands for freedom, democracy, fairness, and community. This is the America that the rest of the world still believes in. We The People can and will save it.
We can observe
Under the constitution, we have the right to peaceably assemble. We have the right to ask questions. We have the right to take photographs of public servants acting (supposedly) on behalf of the public. New Virginia Majority, The DC Peace Team, Free DC, and other organizations offer training.
We can build community
Usually, a community is an open door. People enter and are welcomed. When needed, a community can be a shared resource and a protective wall. Two scenarios come to mind: 1) we respond to a large-scale ICE invasion, such as in Minneapolis; 2) we participate in a general strike.
To build community, we talk to our neighbors on the block where we live. Which of us wants to participate? Which of us wants to lead? Which of us wants to connect to the community leaders who are training people to safely observe and record ICE actions? We can create Signal or WhatsApp groups. We can connect with other groups. When there is news to share, we can do so. We will do so.
We can talk to our neighbors
In Minneapolis, ICE actions were slowed, frustrated, and occasionally thwarted because people showed up in the streets whenever ICE was spotted. People living on every block of the city were prepared to step outside and act. When patrol volunteers blew whistles, people responded within minutes.
These one-block micro-networks can also support a general strike. Neighbors can share and trade resources. In Minneapolis, many of these networks were created after ICE showed up in force. We can begin now, in advance. Key questions to ask yourself are 1) If I want to know if we are in an emergency, do I know who to ask? 2) If I want to donate food to support a family in need, do I know where to donate? 3) If a general strike shuts down all the stores, will I be OK?
We can prepare for a general strike
During the pandemic, we avoided shopping or eating out by a) learning to cook our own food, and b) stockpiling enough supplies to weather a weeks-long lockdown. We know how to do this. We can return to stockpiling, but we don’t need to be alone. Food can be shared via churches, local non-profits, and informal mutual aid networks. In a general strike (unlike a pandemic), those who cook can share a table with those that do not.
When push comes to shove, people defeat dictatorships by making themselves ungovernable. Historically, general strikes are effective, especially in coordination with organized labor. In a general strike, no one works, no one shops, and no one attends school. Forcing economic and civic activity to a halt, people show their collective determination. They prompt business leaders to join their demands for change. They pressure political leaders to act. A general strike is like a pandemic lockdown, only better: in a general strike, people spend time together and share resources. They sing songs.
We can practice power
As you know, protests occur almost daily. Visibility brigades put banners on bridges. Marchers march loudly. Vigils stand quietly. The outlets that spread the word on protests also call for strikes and boycotts.
Political organizations, the labor movement, students, and community groups participate in strikes. Sometimes, a national organization will call for a one-day or one-week strike, such as the 2025 Black Friday strike. These are tests. As more communities participate, one-day strikes become more impactful. When movement leaders see these impacts, they are empowered to take bolder steps.
We can remain calm
When people patrol neighborhoods in search of ICE, Homeland Security Investigators, National Guard, etc., they notice previously-ignored police activity. These “false positives” are normal. By partnering with experienced volunteers, volunteers can avoid spreading unhelpful information. Our Signal or WhatsApp networks are here to help us, not waste our time.
As we write this, ICE activity in the DC area is sporadic. For every ICE sighting, our networks report and discuss a dozen false positives. Nevertheless, it is crucial to be vigilant and connected as we observe law enforcement in our communities and share information. If ICE shows up in force, it will be time to use what we’ve learned. Time to make ourselves more visible. Time to distribute whistles. Time to rush outside our front doors whenever we hear them. Until then, we practice patrolling.
The police won’t save us
Police impose order. Communities protect immigrants. Communities peacefully record ICE actions. Communities block ICE by peacefully placing their bodies between ICE and people ICE tries to abduct. Police hold people in arrest. Communities move with agility to block ICE.
If we call the police during an ICE action, they might protect lives. But whose lives? And to what end? To the police, ICE abductions are legal. To the police, community interpositions are illegal.
Any call to police prioritizes “law and order” over the lives and livelihoods of our neighbors and their families. To defeat ICE, we will instead use our numbers and our determination to block ICE action and intimidate ICE into inaction.
We can attain better government
Mass deportation, and mass detention, are currently legal. This must change. We are already screaming for immigration reform, for less incarceration (so ICE doesn’t get people via our jails), and for an end to police cooperation with ICE (which, sadly, would only end formal cooperation), but we can do more.
In Los Angeles, ICE is forbidden from using city property to stage ICE actions. Further, the LAPD is required to retain and preserve evidence whenever police observe ICE actions. In Minneapolis, residents and union organizers are calling for state support for citizens in lockdown status. As during the pandemic lockdowns, they ask that we respond to each civic crisis with increased state-supported food aid and with an eviction moratorium. In an age of increasingly violent politics (which we could stop quickly) and increasingly violent climate (which we can only stop slowly), further civic crises are expected. As long as we are free to organize and free to vote, we can change this.
We are many. They are few. We are love. They are hate. These basic facts, made real through action, can defeat ICE.