Activists Are Forming Watch Groups And Using Whistles And Car Horns to Monitor Immigration Enforcement, Alert Neighbors: Report

Activists in several U.S. cities are forming watch groups to monitor immigration enforcement, coordinating warnings and documentation efforts as Homeland Security expands operations, according to a new report.

In Los Angeles, Chicago and Charlotte, residents have used whistles and car horns to alert neighborhoods when they say immigration agents are in the area. Community groups have also organized street patrols and recorded videos of masked officers in unmarked vehicles making arrests. Trainers instruct volunteers to observe from a distance, note the number of agents present and their activities, and record any interaction.

Jill Garvey, co-director of the organization States at the Core, told participants during a nationwide virtual "ICE WATCH" training on Nov. 21 that recent operations show "scale and severity is very new, and it requires a whole new response from us regular people, as citizens, as neighbors," as NBC News reports.

More than 500 people joined the session, seeking guidance on adjusting strategies to different settings and monitoring enforcement near schools, churches or workplaces. Garvey said the approach is "a nonviolent tactic."

• ICE Arrests of Noncriminal Immigrants Soar 2,000%, With Nearly Half of Detainees Without Criminal Record
• 7 in 10 of Migrants Now Skip Their Immigration Hearings Due to an Uptick in Courtroom Arrests
• Drug and Weapons Seizures Plunge as DHS Shifts Agents to Immigration Crackdown, Internal Data Shows

Some volunteers have, however, been arrested during these efforts. Heather Morrow in Charlotte was initially charged with felony assault of a federal officer after prosecutors alleged she blocked a Department of Homeland Security parking lot entrance; the charge was later reduced to a misdemeanor. Another volunteer, Joshua Long, was cited for "simple assault on a federal officer," though he denies doing so.

Federal officials argue that the monitoring has hindered operations. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told NBC News that agents "will take legal and necessary steps to ensure their own safety and that of bystanders, adding that "being near unlawful activities in the field does come with risks," and that "anyone who impedes, obstructs, or assaults law enforcement will be arrested and prosecuted."

McLaughlin also said agents wear masks to avoid being "targeted by highly sophisticated gangs."

Efforts have recently expanded beyond the initial cities mentioned. In Queens, New York, volunteers began distributing whistles and "know your rights" materials after masked officers conducted street arrests in Corona earlier this month, according to local advocates.

Organizers said short whistle bursts signal sightings of federal agents and longer whistles indicate active arrests. They describe the tactic as a way to communicate warnings "regardless of language group."

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