Communities Train to Safely Monitor Border Patrol as Tensions Rise

The blast of whistles and a rising chorus of car horns have become a new signal in several U.S. cities: community members alerting neighbors that immigration enforcement is nearby. Residents in Los Angeles, Chicago and Charlotte have staged protests, organized neighborhood patrols and recorded Border Patrol and ICE activity—often noting officers in masks and unmarked vehicles.

Organizers say monitoring has grown in response to what they describe as increasingly aggressive enforcement tactics. Federal officials counter that some community actions can interfere with operations and that officers must take necessary steps to protect themselves and bystanders.

Arrests and legal disputes

Several arrests tied to monitoring activities have heightened tensions. In Charlotte, Heather Morrow faces misdemeanor charges after prosecutors allege she blocked the entrance to a Department of Homeland Security parking lot; an initial felony charge of assault on a federal officer was later dropped. Joshua Long, another Charlotte resident who says he was documenting Border Patrol presence for a neighborhood watch, was arrested and cites that he was following a vehicle to confirm reports. He denies allegations of assaulting an officer; his attorney, Xavier T. de Janon, says Long and other clients were exercising legally protected rights to document public enforcement.

Accounts of these incidents differ. Authorities describe some confrontations as obstruction or threats to officer safety, while community members and their lawyers say volunteers were peacefully documenting and trying to de-escalate. The disputes underscore both the legal risks and the fraught environment surrounding enforcement operations.

National training and tactics

On Nov. 21, a nationwide virtual training called "ICE WATCH" drew more than 500 participants from dozens of cities, including New York, Memphis, Oakland and New Orleans. Trainers advised volunteers on safe monitoring techniques: work in groups, keep a safe distance, do not physically engage with agents, and carefully record objective details such as the number of agents, clothing or uniforms, vehicle types and the scope of activity. Detailed documentation can help communities understand enforcement patterns and identify potential civil-rights violations.

"Deportation raids are not new, but what we see in terms of scale and severity is very new," said Jill Garvey, co-director of States at the Core, during the training.

Trainers also discussed adapting tactics for rural areas and monitoring around sensitive sites such as schools, churches and workplaces. They emphasized that neighborhood watch efforts are intended to be nonviolent and documentary rather than obstructive.

Officials' perspective and safety concerns

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson warned that broadcasting the location of enforcement actions can endanger officers and bystanders and said agents sometimes must take legal action to protect safety. The department also cited a rise in reported assaults on agents this year compared with the previous year, a statistic officials point to when urging caution around enforcement operations.

The situation remains tense: communities are forming rapid-response networks to monitor enforcement, legal advocates caution volunteers about risks, and federal authorities stress that interference with operations can lead to arrest and prosecution. Organizers continue to urge nonviolence, careful documentation and coordinated group action to reduce risk while maintaining public oversight.