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State of Fear: When Immigration Raids Spark Counter-Vigilance and Protest

In late May 2025, a raid of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in San Diego caused widespread shock and outrage. The operation took place in a cozy Italian restaurant located in South Park, a quiet and affluent neighborhood of the city.

In broad daylight, heavily armed agents cordoned off the area, stormed the restaurant while it was still in operation, detained all employees, and eventually took four individuals into custody who were unable to present valid identification documents.

Bystanders and residents were alarmed by the militarized presence of the agents—dressed in bulletproof vests, wielding automatic weapons, and wearing face coverings. Many questioned the legality of the operation and confronted the ICE officers in a spontaneous protest. The agents responded with a so-called “robust presence”, using flash bangs to disperse the crowd.

Source: Youtube [last accessed on 13/06/2025]

The drastic actions sparked widespread criticism from local politicians and NGOs and were widely covered by the media. Furthermore, citizens who witnessed the events shared their perspectives on social media, making it clear that the outrage extended beyond this single incident. They expressed a strong willingness to closely and vigilantly monitor the future actions of the ICE agency.

New Policies of Migration & Calls for Vigilance

During Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and the early days of his administration, the issue of irregular migration played a central role. His promises to deport undocumented and unwanted migrants were quickly followed by concrete actions and swift deportations. These measures and campaigns often have a twofold effect. They spread fear and uncertainty on the one hand, but on the other also create images of tough action and determined behavior. For instance, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched an official campaign featuring Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem directly addressing undocumented migrants. In one of the videos, she states: “President Trump has a clear message for those that are in our country illegally. Leave now. If you don’t, we will find you and we will deport you. You will never return.” https://www.dhs.gov/medialibrary/assets/video/58918

Another video goes even further: “If you come to our country and you break our laws, we will hunt you down.”

Source: Youtube [last accessed on 13/06/2025]

These spots are intended to persuade undocumented migrants to voluntarily leave the country—or to deter them from entering in the first place. At the same time, they send a strong message: that undocumented individuals are now under heightened surveillance and should expect no leniency from the authorities.

The agency tasked with identifying, locating, and detaining undocumented immigrants in the U.S. is the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which operates under the Department of Homeland Security. ICE consists of two primary and distinct law enforcement branches: Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). The ERO is responsible for the deportation and removal of individuals without valid immigration status and has recently been criticized for its martial and intimidating appearance. However, it should be noted that ICE operations and the broader trend towards the criminalization of migration have been the subject of critical academic analysis also prior to the assumption of President Trump.1

ICE divisions operate independently of local police departments and gather mission-critical intelligence through ICE’s own Office of Intelligence, which employs a range of special agents and intelligence research specialists. The Office also collaborates closely with intelligence components at the federal, state, and local levels.

Additionally, ICE relies on tips from vigilant citizens, who are encouraged to report suspicious activity via a hotline or online form. Such calls for citizen vigilance have increased notably since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. People are encouraged to report suspicious behavior to authorities—this includes illegal border crossings or the presence of undocumented migrants. The state’s tasks of security and control thus depend heavily on the vigilance of ordinary citizens.2

Counter-Vigilance & Resistance

Recent research shows that individuals under scrutiny—such as those perceived to be undocumented migrants—are acutely aware of being watched and of being perceived as threats. In response, they develop their own protective practices and forms of vigilance.3

This dynamic is also evident in the context of recent shifts in U.S. immigration policy under the Trump administration. In response to operations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), such as those in San Diego, various forms of counter-vigilance have emerged. These practices do not merely monitor ICE activity—they actively turn the gaze back onto the state authorities responsible for surveillance, control, and deportation. For example, on the social media platform Reddit numerous users share real-time information about ICE activities and post information in local community groups. These posts often include precise updates on locations and sightings of ICE units as well as detailed descriptions or pictures of vehicles, amount of personnel and so forth. By disseminating this information, individuals potentially affected by enforcement actions can be warned in advance (Image 1).

Image 1: Screenshot: Detailed information about ICE activities shared by a user in a local subreddit.

At the same time, these location-based updates have enabled spontaneous protest. Community members respond to raids by showing up in person, documenting the events with smartphones, and making any potential misconduct or abuse by ICE agents visible and accessible for legal review. In the case of the raid in San Diego’s South Park neighborhood, multiple videos from various angles were shared online in social media platforms such as Instagram, Tiktok or Reddit shortly afterward (Image 2). These protest actions thus take the form of vigilant interventions (Image 3).

Image 2: Screenshot: A photo taken during the ICE raid in South Park, San Diego, uploaded by a user to Reddit.
Image 3: Screenshot: A call for public protest in response to the ICE raid in South Park, San Diego, posted on Reddit.

But protest may also develop into forms of civil disobedience. Just days after the South Park incident, a heavily armed ICE operation was directly confronted by citizens in San Diego. As protesters chanted “Shame! Shame! Shame!” they forced the agents to retreat. This moment, captured widely on video, countered the government’s intended narrative of fear and intimidation. It instead portrayed ICE actions as aggressive and disproportionate—targeting not criminals, but hard-working migrants striving to integrate into U.S. society (Image 4).

Image 4: Screenshot: Still image from a TikTok video showing a civil disobedience action during an ICE raid in San Diego, shared on Reddit.

In some social media posts, users go further by calling on others to actively disrupt ICE infrastructure. They highlight that the hotlines and online portals designed to receive reports about undocumented migrants can also be flooded with false reports, intentionally aimed at impeding ICE operations (Image 5).

Image 5: Screenshot: A Reddit user urging others to flood ICE agency hotlines with false reports.

While the effectiveness of such tactics is unclear, they raise questions about the boundaries between civil disobedience and illegal activity. Social media moderators frequently remind users to adhere to platform guidelines and the law, reinforcing that protest should remain within legal bounds. This includes making inquiries about the whereabouts of detainees, contacting the political representatives of the respective jurisdiction or requesting precise details about ICE operations from the authorities in charge (Image 6). These forms of critical and vigilant citizenship are also called for in social networks.

Beyond individual posts, more structured vigilance networks have developed. One example is the privately funded and organized website Stop ICE Net, which allows users to register anonymously with their telephone number to receive alerts about ICE raids in their area4. Users are furthermore encouraged to show solidarity with those targeted by the authorities and to provide information about their own sightings of ICE operations or related law enforcement The goal, again, is to document ICE activity and warn those who might be affected. The platform operates similarly to the Citizen app5, which cross-references users’ locations with incident reports. The website and corresponding Instagram account urge the users to “Stay Aware, Stay Alert, Be Vigilant.” (Image 7) and rapidly gains new followers all over the country.

Image 6: Screenshot: A Reddit user calling on others to pressure local authorities.
Image 7: Screenshot: Slogan from the Stop ICE Net website, disseminated via the site’s Instagram account.

What’s particularly striking about these vigilance efforts and what differentiates them from previous observed forms of counter-vigilance6 is that they are often initiated and sustained not just by those directly at risk, but by broader networks of solidarity. Many participants are neighbors, coworkers, and community members of undocumented migrants who do not perceive them as threats but who view ICE raids as violent intrusions into peaceful neighborhoods and a threat to the integrity and cohesion of their communities. By sharing their own observations and knowledge, they resist the policy of the Trump administration as well as its enforcement. Citizens thus engage in vigilant practices that do not follow the logics of state control and security but local ideas of integration, solidarity and community.

Outlook

The recent deployment of the National Guard and the Marines to Los Angeles—ostensibly in response to counter-vigilance, protests, civil disobedience, and some unlawful interventions in ICE operations—illustrates the Trump administration’s determination to maintain an image of control and intimidation. These actions are not only aimed at suppressing protest and civil disobedience but seek to rupture all forms of solidarity. This escalation, however, risks further alienating citizens who do not view undocumented migrants—often their neighbors and colleagues—as threats. Instead, they see the militarized presence of ICE in their communities as a source of violence and disruption. These tensions reveal the growing divide between federal enforcement priorities and the values of many local communities, where solidarity, not exclusion based on legal status, defines public sentiment.


Cite this article as: Ingo Rohrer, State of Fear: When Immigration Raids Spark Counter-Vigilance and Protest, in Vigilanzkulturen, 13.06.2025, State of Fear: When Immigration Raids Spark Counter-Vigilance and Protest – Vigilanzkulturen

Mehr zum Autor Ingo Rohrer.


  1. Armenta, Amanda. 2017. Protect, Serve, and Deport. The Rise of Policing as Immigration Enforcement. Oakland: University of California Press; Arriaga, Felicia. 2023. Behind Crimmigration. ICE, Law Enforcement, and Resistance in America. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press; Raffington, Trishawn. 2020. “Ice Ice Baby: The De Facto Termination of Parental Rights by an Enforcement Agency.” Family Court Review 58 (1): 243–57. https://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.12463. ↩︎
  2. Brendecke, Arndt, and Paola Molino. 2018. “The Cultures of Vigilance. Historicizing the Role of Private Attention in Society. An Introduction.” Storia Della Storiografia 72 (2): 11–16. https://doi.org/10.19272/201811502001. ↩︎
  3. Ivasiuc, Ana, Eveline Dürr, and Catherine Whittaker. 2022. “Introduction: The Power and Productivity of Vigilance Regimes.” Conflict and Society 8 (1): 57–72; Whittaker, Catherine, Eveline Dürr, Jonathan Alderman, and Carolin Luiprecht. 2023. Watchful Lives in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110985573. ↩︎
  4. https://www.stopice.net/. ↩︎
  5. https://vigilanz.hypotheses.org/11521. ↩︎
  6. Ivasiuc, Ana, Eveline Dürr, and Catherine Whittaker. 2022. “Introduction: The Power and Productivity of Vigilance Regimes.” Conflict and Society 8 (1): 57–72; Whittaker, Catherine, Eveline Dürr, Jonathan Alderman, and Carolin Luiprecht. 2023. Watchful Lives in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110985573. ↩︎


OpenEdition schlägt Ihnen vor, diesen Beitrag wie folgt zu zitieren:
Ingo Rohrer (13. Juni 2025). State of Fear: When Immigration Raids Spark Counter-Vigilance and Protest. Vigilanzkulturen. Abgerufen am 13. Januar 2026 von https://doi.org/10.58079/144c3


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