The anti-ICE playbook for regular Americans

Every day actions to fight fascism in your community

Author

Julie DiCaro
January 25, 2026

This information was provided to me in multiple rapid-response training sessions or curated from elsewhere on the internet and does not constitute legal advice. This document will be updated on a rolling basis. For suggested additions, deletions, or edits, email [email protected].

Organizing in your area:

Make sure you have the number of a local rapid response team in your area. You can find a list of rapid response groups listed by state here.

Reporting an ICE sighting in your community helps protect migrants by telling them where not to go and giving them time to reach a safe place. If you are an immigrant, undocumented or otherwise, or even just a person who doesn’t present as 100 percent white, the National Immigrant Justice Center has some tips on important numbers to carry around and how to prepare for an ICE invasion.

There are also a number of Indivisible, 50501, DSA, and other groups organizing in states across the country.

Protesting:

Physicians for Human Rights has a list of what to wear while protesting:

Experienced activists have also pointed out that wearing head protection, even something as basic as a bike helmet, is a must when protesting, as head injuries are often beyond the skill of street medics to treat.

And what to bring:

PFHR’s site also includes instructions on what to do if you encounter tear gas or other chemical irritants, and reading it before you head out to a protest can save you valuable time and discomfort.

The First Amendment gives everyone in America the right to peacefully protest, assemble, and speak out against ICE. That includes the right to carry signs, chant, blow whistles, and document law enforcement’s activities. Here’s a good summary from a Chicago law firm:

When ICE agents appear in a neighborhood—often early in the morning and sometimes without warning—witnesses may feel compelled to step in. Legally speaking, people who wish to oppose or monitor ICE operations are permitted to observe from a safe distance, record what they see, and ask ICE agents to show an arrest warrant if they attempt to enter a private home. Community members may verbally object to the officers’ actions, notify neighbors of their rights, or contact legal-aid organizations on behalf of the targeted individual.

These activities are constitutionally protected as long as they do not cross into physical obstruction or interference. The line between lawful protest and unlawful obstruction is not always clear, but courts consistently hold that physical actions—such as placing oneself directly in front of officers, blocking their vehicles, grabbing a detainee, or stepping between an officer and the person being arrested—can constitute unlawful interference. Verbal criticism, however harsh, does not constitute interference under the First Amendment.

You may hear ICE or CBP agents telling you that you’re violating a federal law, specifically 18 USC 111. Here’s what that statute says:

Despite what ICE agents claim, note what the statute does NOT say — that observers must stand an arm’s length away from agents, that following agents in cars at a safe distance is obstruction, or that recording agents in action is unlawful.

So what is considered to be “obstructing” or “impeding” ICE agents?

The legal concept of “interference” has been litigated in numerous protest-related cases. The key theme across jurisdictions is that individuals may speak, record, criticize, and observe, but they may not physically hinder, block, delay, or prevent officers from performing lawful duties.

Courts have ruled that observers who merely document or verbally protest police actions are not interfering with law enforcement and that recording and verbal criticism are core First Amendment activities and are not grounds for arrest unless they pose an actual safety threat.

In contrast, cases arising from immigration protests in New York City and Los Angeles illustrate what crosses the line. Several individuals were charged with disorderly conduct and obstruction when they physically surrounded ICE vehicles or linked arms to prevent agents from leaving an area. Courts have generally upheld these charges, reasoning that the government may prosecute conduct—not speech—that interferes with public safety or impedes a lawful arrest.

The ACLU also provides advice on knowing your rights when organizing, attending, or documenting protests.

Warrants:

Administrative v. judicial warrants

If you’re in a home or private business, yours or anyone else’s, the owner of the premises has the right to ask ICE to leave. The Fourth Amendment requires agents to have a judicial search warrant—signed by a judge—to enter a private area, so make sure not to fall for them flashing a fake administrative warrant and telling you it’s a search warrant. The difference between these two warrants? One is issued by a judge after determining that there is probable cause to justify an arrest/search. The other is a boilerplate form that ICE fills out in their car and signs themselves. The former has the force of law behind it; the latter does not.

Generally speaking, you do not have to open the door to any law enforcement official who does not have a judicial search warrant.

The National Immigrant Law Center has helpful instructions on what to do if ICE shows up at your workplace and attempts to detain people or take possession of your employment records.

Digital Security

It’s also essential to make sure your digital security is tight if you intend to protest or speak out against ICE or the federal government. While protesting, make sure you turn off facial or thumbprint recognition to unlock your phone. This prevents ICE/CBP from holding your phone up to your face to unlock it. There have also been verified reports of ICE/CBP using facial recognition to compile a database of protestors, so wearing a mask or other facial covering when observing or protesting is advisable (but check local laws in your area, as some communities prohibit face masks during protests).

The Activist Checklist provides instructions for digital security at both a baseline and enhanced level. At a minimum, use Signal to communicate with other activists, keep your software updated, disable geo tracking for most apps, and enable two-factor authentication.

Participate from home:

Shop your values:

If you aren’t able to get out and protest against ICE in your area, you can still help out by shopping your values, i.e., boycotting companies that are complicit in ICE’s activities.

In addition, Target (a MN corporation) has allowed ICE/CBP to use their parking lots to stage and allowed them to use their bathrooms. Don’t shop at Target.

Here’s a more detailed list of companies that have contracts with ICE, including Home Depot, Dell, and UPS.

Donations:

There are many organizations on the ground in ICE-invaded cities that currently need donations.

  • The Minneapolis Star Tribune needs funds to buy protective gear for its reporters;

  • Stand With Minnesota has a directory of organizations that need financial support to confront ICE on a variety of fronts (mutual aid, food support, legal services) on the ground in Minneapolis- St. Paul and the suburbs;

  • You can also donate to the ACLU, who are fighting the Trump administration in court in multiple states at once;

  • Support independent media. Rather than subscribing to legacy media, which are both-siding on too many issues involving the Trump administration, seek out and support smaller media outlets and newsletters that are speaking truth to power.

Other ways to contribute:

  • Find and participate in local trainings on opposing ICE;

  • Call and email your state, local, and federal representatives as often as you can and demand they take steps to Abolish ICE. You can find your congressional reps here, but using an app like 5 Calls makes this process quick and easy and even gives you a suggested script;

  • Amplify messages from journalists, activists, and legal aid groups on social media — reach matters!

  • Get involved in local “know your rights” and whistle campaigns to ensure your community is knowledgeable and prepared should ICE come to your area.

Hey, survive and advance out there today, kids. Don’t let the bastards get you down.

Follow Julie on Bluesky and Instagram so she can get another book contract.

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