As the Trump administration doubles down on its pledge to ramp up Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations across the country, a powerful, grassroots movement is emerging in cities like Chicago and Richmond, Virginia. Volunteers, activists, artists, and even children are stepping up to defend immigrant communities, often putting themselves at risk to counter what they see as an escalating campaign of fear.
In the suburbs of Chicago, the scene is striking: children ride their bikes and gather near grocery stores, not for play, but to keep watch for the familiar white vans of ICE agents. According to NPR, these kids, some as young as elementary schoolers, have become unofficial patrols, learning to document enforcement actions and use coded whistles to alert their neighbors of approaching danger. "You guys need to keep yourselves safe, OK? You guys need to be careful," Ruby, an organizer with the People's Patrol (Patrulla Popular), tells the group. She asked to be identified only by her first name, fearing retaliation for her work warning people about ICE's presence.
The People's Patrol is an all-volunteer group of activists who patrol Chicago’s neighborhoods and suburbs, warning migrants of ICE activity, contacting families of those detained, and connecting detainees with legal services. Their work has become especially urgent since the Trump administration initiated Operation Midway Blitz, a major crackdown on undocumented immigrants in Illinois starting in September 2025. Residents describe a climate of terror that has taken hold since the raids began. Diana, a Mexican mother of two, told NPR, "I'm panicking, I don't want to leave my place." She and her neighbors have seen friends and family chased down by immigration agents. Many adults have stopped going to work, and children are kept home from school, too afraid to leave the safety of their apartments.
But even in this climate of fear, hope persists. Ivan, a 17-year-old volunteer, has taken on the role of protector in his neighborhood, patrolling daily from 5 a.m. to warn migrants of ICE presence and give them a chance to hide or flee. "I may not be no cop or none of that, but I be taking care of the community," Ivan said. "I don't want none of these people get deported." He records enforcement operations on his phone and keeps a vigilant eye out for suspicious vehicles, determined to defend his neighbors. "All these people make the U.S. work," Ivan added. "Without them how is the U.S. gonna be?"
Adults are just as involved. Cristóbal Cavazos, co-founder of the Casa DuPage Workers Center and an organizer with the People's Patrol, uses Facebook Live to notify followers of ICE sightings and employs non-aggressive tactics to disrupt enforcement actions. "I will take out my bullhorn, I will start to make some noise, people start to honk their horns, people start to pull up," Cavazos explained to NPR. "ICE starts to get nervous. They start to look around, you know, and they start to assess, is this worth it right now?" Despite the Department of Homeland Security’s accusations that such groups interfere with immigration enforcement and endanger officers, Cavazos remains undeterred. "If you're a real community activist, you need to do what's right for your community in spite of the fear … because it is a scary time right now," he said.
Federal agents have not hesitated to respond with force. In early October 2025, Border Patrol agents deployed tear gas to disperse a crowd protesting in Chicago’s East Side after a crash between officers and a person they were chasing. According to NPR, such incidents have only galvanized the resolve of activists and volunteers, who see their role as not only protecting migrants but also defending free speech and the right to protest—rights they feel are under threat from the current administration.
The story is similar in Richmond, Virginia, where the movement for immigrant rights has been gaining momentum since the summer of 2025. Richmond Defensa, a group formed by local organizers, has been at the forefront of the fight against ICE raids in their neighborhoods. According to VPM, ICE agents made 4,264 arrests in Virginia during the first seven months of 2025—nearly three times the number for all of 2024. The impact has been profound, with immigrant communities afraid to go to work or send their children to school. On July 30, 2025, federal agents stormed the Southwood Apartments complex in Richmond, detaining a 21-year-old asylum seeker from Honduras—an event that left his mother so distraught she reported him missing to local police.
Violeta Vega, an organizer with Richmond Defensa, described the growing fear among families. "From talking with educators, there’s so many children who don’t want to go to school because they don’t know if they’ll see their family when they go home," Vega told Peoples Dispatch. Yet, she also sees a remarkable surge in community involvement. Richmond Defensa’s recent volunteer meeting drew over 100 people, and the group regularly organizes rapid response and know-your-rights trainings, even tailoring sessions for specific workplaces like construction sites. "We’ve still seen people come out and remain steadfast and committed, and they have recommitted time and time again to this movement," Vega said.
Beyond training sessions, Richmond Defensa has helped launch Richmond Artists Against Deportations, a coalition of over 100 artists who signed a petition demanding full legal status for all immigrants. Their statement reads, "As artists and cultural producers, we join hands with the people of our city, country, and the immigrant community, to stop this racial profiling campaign, deportation machine and put an end to abductions and family separation." The group’s activism was also visible on Labor Day 2025, when they marched alongside union members and residents, carrying a banner that read, "The people demand, ICE out of RVA."
Elsewhere, resistance is taking shape in unique ways. In Portland, army veterans have called on federal troops to disobey Trump’s orders, while in Colorado, local residents successfully rejected the conversion of private prisons into new ICE detention centers. These efforts, though varied in their tactics and local flavor, are united by a common goal: to defend immigrant communities from what they view as overreach by federal authorities.
As the administration intensifies its crackdown, the movement in defense of immigrant rights is not only growing, but evolving—drawing strength from the courage of young people like Ivan, the leadership of activists like Vega and Cavazos, and the solidarity of artists, workers, and neighbors. Their message is clear: even in the face of fear, communities will continue to stand up for each other, finding hope in resistance and unity.
