Shadow โPatrol: How a Los angeles Group is Documenting ICE Activity and Challenging Local โคPolitics
Aโข grassrootsโ groupโ in Los โฃAngeles is โคtaking matters into its own hands, directly monitoring and documenting the activities of Immigration โand Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in their communities. Driven by concerns over escalatingโ immigration โenforcement and a perceived failure of political leadership, these โvolunteers are forming a “peace patrol” to observe and record ICE operations, a response sparked by a โrecentโค incident involving armed โindividualsโค believed to beโข connected to immigration enforcement.
The incident, which occurred in late August, involvedโข individuals in civilian clothing, suspected of being involved in ICE operations, who where reportedly seen attempting toโ detain people. A localโฃ resident reported the presence of the gunmen to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). According to LAPD Captain Gazsi, the report was relayed through supervisors, but by the time officers arrived, “everybody was gone.”
This โincident,andโ the perceived lack of a robust response,has fueled distrust and a sense of urgency within the community. It also highlights a growing tension between the rhetoric of Los Angeles Mayorโ Karen Bass and the โactions of the โLAPD. Mayor โBass has publicly condemned federal immigration enforcement, labeling ICE raids a “reign of โคterror” and issuing an executive directive aimed at limiting city resources – including โthe LAPD – from assisting in immigration enforcement unless โlegally mandated.
However, videos provided to journalists by โUniรณn del Barrio appear to contradict this stance.โ The footage shows โLAPD officers โpresent at multiple ICE operations, not activelyโ hindering enforcement, but seemingly providing a security presence. In one video from June 24th, officers are seen holding back a crowd attempting to intervene as immigration agents detain individuals. In another,โค from August 13th, an LAPD officer explicitly states the department “provides security” for Homeland Security Investigations (H.S.I.) and confirms a history of collaboration on “many occasions.”
This perceived discrepancy between political promises and on-the-groundโฃ reality is driving a shift in โtactics for โฃactivists likeโ Suzuki Daniels. After years of customary political engagement, Daniels nowโข believes “no politician is going toโค save us.” She is redirecting her efforts towards “direct action and mutual aid,” focusing on community-led responses to the perceived threat.
The group’s efforts echo a history โof resistance in the Los Angeles harbor โขarea, specifically on Terminal Island. During World War II, the U.S. โขgovernment forcibly removed and incarcerated Japanese American fishermen from the thriving fishing village โขof โFurusato.Gina, a member of the current volunteer group whose grandfather โwas a Sicilian immigrant โwho fished alongside Japanese fishermen, recounted how โคthe non-Japanese community offered protection โduring that โperiod, recognizing the injustice of the government’sโ actions.
Standing before โขa memorial statue depicting Japaneseโฃ fishermen, Gina drew a direct โขparallel between the pastโ persecution and the โคcurrent climate.”This is whiteโข supremacy, once again, trying to take a foothold-it’s full fascism,” she said, pointing toโ the statue of fishermen seemingly watching the federal โฃcomplex, “watching them come and go,” as if maintaining their own vigil.
The โขvolunteers’ “peace patrol” represents โa growing trendโ of โคcommunity-based monitoring andโค a rejection of reliance on traditional political channels, born from a deep-seated fearโ and a determination to document and challenge what they see as an escalating threat to their communities.
