Oregon parents and teachers form ICE watch groups to monitor near schools

Parents and teachers in Oregon have formed neighborhood groups to monitor Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity. The system helps alert illegal immigrants when federal agents are nearby, organizers said.

Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) reported Members of ICE watch groups in October explained that participants position themselves at various points in the neighborhood, often around schools, to keep an eye on ICE officers.

If agents are detected, group members use text chains and whistles to alert local members to the activity. The effort comes as President Donald Trump continues to increase enforcement operations against immigrants across the country.

“We make ourselves present and visible so our families can see that we are there for our community, and we stand as a message that our students deserve to learn with confidence, not fear,” teacher Andy Bunting told OPB in October.

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Portland is among several Democratic-led cities that have seen widespread community backlash against the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration. Similar ICE alert groups have also emerged States like California.

Several Portland-based Instagram accounts help organize these anti-ICE groups. Among them is @pdxicewatch. has approximately 23,000 followers. The account’s bio states that it “monitors ICE activity” and frequently posts the locations of ICE operations in the area and has a tip line.

The online group also helps maintain a public database that lists the models, sightings and license plates of vehicles suspected of being used by ICE officers.

OREGON DEMOCRATS ARE VERY OFFENSIVE ABOUT PLANS FOR ICE FACILITIES NEAR PORTLAND

An informational post uploaded in November specifically discusses response during ICE operations near schools.

“Focus on quiet-looking areas around the school, ICE likes to kidnap people in alleys and cul-de-sacs,” one slide says.

“Sometimes the staff will reach out to you, but the administrator at the front desk will not. There may be a disconnect between brown and black teachers/social workers and the all-white admin staff,” another slide says.

A screenshot from the @pdxicewatch Instagram account shared by several activist groups shows a graphic from a video explaining how community members can track ICE agents outside of schools. (Screenshot/@pdxicewatch)

NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL DISTRICT PUBLISHED A NOTE ON ‘SUPPORTING STUDENT ABSENTEEISM’ DUE TO ICE RAIDS

“ICE protects schools and places of worship by preventing criminal aliens and gang members from using them as safe havens, a practice previously restricted under the Biden Administration. DHS now allows law enforcement to act with supervisory approval, ensuring such actions remain rare and discretionary,” ICE wrote, citing its operations near schools to OPB.

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson and other city leaders condemned immigration officers, accusing them of using chemical pepper balls during the arrest.

“ICE activities, including the unnecessary and possibly unconstitutional use of chemical munitions in North Portland, directly conflict with Portland’s values,” the leaders wrote. he wrote in a statement It was published on Tuesday.

Demonstrators demonstrated solidarity in front of Hoover Elementary School in Oakland, California, on November 19, following morning reports of a failed arrest attempt by nearby ICE agents. (essica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

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“As Portland’s civic leaders, we condemn ICE’s unfair, disruptive, and escalatory behavior that undermines public trust in government.”

Earlier this year, protests outside Portland’s ICE facility became nearly nightly events as activists demonstrated against deportations.