Anti-ICE group in LA teaches activists how to disrupt federal immigration operations

The group called the "Community Self-Defense Coalition" is made up of more than 50 left-wing activist organizations and recently interfered with two ICE operations on Sunday in California: one in San Fernando and another in Alhambra. A spokesperson for ICE said federal agents were attempting to arrest illegal immigrants with criminal records when the group disrupted their operations over the weekend.

Ron Gochez, lead organizer with Union Del Barrio, an anti-ICE activist group that founded the coalition, told Spectrum News that more than 100 activists mobilized in the early morning hours Sunday to alert illegal immigrants of ICE activity, during what he described as daily "patrols." He explained that the coalition is surveilling dozens of neighborhoods in Los Angeles and that their patrols have been effective at preventing ICE from taking illegal immigrants into custody.

"We do this at 5:30 in the morning because we know that's when ICE starts their operations," Gochez said. "So, before they can go and attack our community, we are looking for them. And when we find them, we alert people with megaphones. The megaphones wake up the people, and let them know what's happening. They also let ICE know that we are there and we're not going to leave. We're going to defend our community."

Video footage posted to social media by the Community Self-Defense Coalition showed activists using megaphones to disrupt federal immigration operations. Federal authorities were stationed outside a home in Alhambra when the activists spotted ICE, exited their vehicles, and began issuing instructions to the intended targets on how to evade ICE arrest.

The group boasted that their efforts were "successful," resulting in no illegal immigrants being "kidnapped" by ICE. The coalition also posted photos on social of the undercover ICE agents and their vehicles, including license plates.

Screenshots from the Community Self-Defense Coalition's Instagram account

"We are there to defend our community and more and more people are joining this cause," Gochez continued, who is also an educator with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). He explained that he wants the coalition to become a model for other sanctuary cities in the United States, saying the group has been conducting trainings in Chicago, Denver, and Salt Lake City.

Gochez boasted about how the coalition was effective at disrupting a recent major ICE operation in Colorado, where federal authorities were attempting to arrest foreign terrorist gang members, including those involved with Tren de Aragua. The raid was reportedly leaked to the media and activists, which prevented ICE from taking the majority of the intended targets into custody.

"We're going to do everything possible to defend the communities in the legal way, but in a way that people throughout the country can replicate," he said.

Fox 11 reported that the coalition also disrupted a federal immigration enforcement operation, consisting of ICE, the FBI, and the DEA, in a Target parking lot on Sunday.

Border Czar Tom Homan has made it clear that anyone impeding ICE operations could be subjected to prosecution.

ICE has not yet confirmed if any arrests were made on Sunday.