In LA, activists patrol Home Depots, parks using a volunteer network to warn of immigration raids

LOS ANGELES A young undocumented man stood outside of the Hollywood Home Depot looking for work on a new hot Wednesday afternoon Since the store was raided by federal immigration agents in June he s been on high alert fearing detainment and deportation But he relies on being in residents spaces for his livelihood like numerous other laborers and street vendors and he has four kids to help There s no freedom living in this fear stated the man who questioned to remain anonymous due to fear of being deported That s why region groups like Union del Barrio and Los Angeles Tenants Union are using their volunteer networks to provide warnings of feasible raids so laborers and vendors can continue to find work despite the risks At a m on a Thursday Union del Barrio volunteer Francisco Romero and around others are already out patrolling the region documenting expected immigration enforcement activity or vehicles that could belong to federal officers Two contributors patrolled the MacArthur Park area with Romero while others scoured areas across the county including in South Central and Vernon In the last month the group has trained hundreds of supporters to check on reports of immigration activity and warn society members of probable raids before they occur Participants were greeted at MacArthur Park and later at a nearby Home Depot by friendly waves as Union del Barrio vehicles pulled through marked with magnets that read Protecting communities from ICE police terror Romero and other helpers talked with day laborers passing out fliers with information about Union del Barrio a group that first implemented neighborhood patrols across California amid the civil unrest that followed the beating of Rodney King When a van seems suspicious often a large American-made pick-up truck or van sometimes missing tags or registration stickers assistants log a voice note with identifying information in situation they see the automobile again at an immigration enforcement action Romero stated he and other region advocates can t stop federal immigration bureaucrats from enforcement activity but they can push for greater transparency and warn communities when there are ongoing or impending immigration raids Right now they have free reign Romero reported They re out of control The Trump administration has pledged to run the largest deportation effort in American history claiming the country is overrun with illegal immigrants As a effect the federal administration has aggressively pursued daily raids across Southern California and the nation targeting day laborers street vendors gardeners farmworkers and others While the administration has touted a priority for targeting violent criminals multiple picked up in raids have no criminal records immigration experts say U S Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and agents are highly trained and dedicated professionals who are sworn to uphold the law protect the American people and backing U S national measure interests ICE revealed in an emailed report The administration has defended its aggressive tactics including masked immigration officers who are often in plainclothes and use unmarked vehicles during raids and detainments President Trump s territory line czar Tom Homan reported individuals who interfere with ICE operations will face charges When you annoyingly impede an ICE officer when you put hands on ICE officer you will be prosecuted Homan reported on Fox News In Hollywood district organizers with the Los Angeles Tenants Union a local organization demanding affordable housing and universal rent control responded to the June Home Depot raid by maintaining a regular presence at the home improvement store The organization also sets up a red canopy across the street with a set of tables filled with know your rights cards and tenants rights fliers Every week day at least one LATU activist stands near each of the three entrances while looking at each bus that drives in like Union del Barrio does for signs that it might be a federal agent If they do see a suspicious carriage a message is sent to their grid of organizers When a sighting of a federal immigration agent is validated organizers alert laborers and vendors over a megaphone On a fresh Wednesday afternoon three men looking for work stood in the shade of a tree outside the Hollywood store They all wore baseball caps and two had backpacks The fresh raid left numerous of them fearful of being taken by masked immigration agents but they needed the work Next to the group stood a volunteer with LATU who was holding up a sign that revealed ICE Out of LA Specific drivers honked in endorsement as they drove by Ren Marquez an organizer with LATU mentioned the population organizing at the Hollywood Home Depot is a microcosm of how communities across the region have responded to the widespread raids What we ve been doing here is a little bit of a template for how other cities and organizers can create these mutual aid systems of care Marquez announced Alida Garcia a volunteer in a San Fernando Valley population patrol was one of more than people to attend an Adopt a Corner training through the National Day Laborers Organizing Grid last month that connected helpers and taught them avenues to earn the trust of day laborers in their area The Valley group she mentioned is made up of a limited dozen contributors including working mothers like Garcia Everybody is just like everyday people all across the Valley who just know that what we re experiencing right now is wrong she mentioned and that we need to show up for each other She and other contributors have passed out conchas coffee and materials to day laborers and vendors at Home Depots in San Fernando North Hollywood and other locations around the area When sightings are released the patrol warns day laborers in the area After one of the patrols Garcia reported immigration officers raided a San Fernando Home Depot and activists believe around workers were detained Once the locality patrol got the record they returned to gather witness reports and contact local elected administrators Emma de Paz one of the people taken by masked federal immigration agents on June had been vending outside of the Hollywood store for nearly years according to a woman who sold food next to her Though the woman is authorized to be in the U S she required to remain anonymous for fear of being taken by agents Despite being terrified the woman who knew de Paz returned to vending four days after the raid She needed to work She reported she used to make enough money to pay rent and patronage her children but business has gone down since the June raid If we can t pay we ll live on the streets she revealed Everything changed after they proved up the first time explained the man looking for work to sponsorship his four children Before the raid he commented he felt at ease being friendly and engaging with people while looking for work Now he s on constant alert He noted less people are showing up looking for work and that chosen of his friends don t leave their homes because they re scared they ll be taken by masked men The amount of work the man gets on a daily basis has also dwindled He used to get three jobs a day now he s lucky if he gets one He also stated the amount of money people have been paying per job has gone down They re grabbing all these good average people looking for work he noted Why are they going after us On Tuesday federal officers arrested four people including society organizer Jenaro-Ernesto Ayala on suspicion of interfering with law enforcement while they patrolled a Home Depot in Van Nuys The four are accused of laying down homemade tire spikes to disrupt officers vehicles authorities reported Ayala has years of organizing experience and took part in Union del Barrio trainings Romero declared and he doesn t believe the accusations against Ayala Last month Sen Josh Hawley a Missouri Republican and chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism also launched an analysis into Union del Barrio and multiple other organizations A letter from Hawley claimed the groups provided logistical and monetary assistance to protests in Los Angeles that he stated escalated into lawless mob actions ICE executives claim assaults on officers are up significantly and agents face doxing when their identities are known ICE strongly condemns the persecution assault and doxing of its employees who are accomplishing their congressionally mandated mission to protect the homeland ICE disclosed in an emailed message Activists are doing everything they can to work within the law and not be arrested Romero commented but there are no guarantees they won t be History teaches us that if you re doing something that is impacting the system Romero noted you re going to eventually end up behind bars We understand that We re fully prepared like I m mentally physically spiritually prepared to go to jail right now We have to be Related 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