‘Wherever you go, we’re going to follow’: Community shows up as reported ICE activity picks up in Phoenix

Metro Phoenix residents were on high alert on Tuesday following unconfirmed reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity across the Valley, with dozens of community members showing up to protest the agency’s actions.

By 9 a.m., several ICE sightings had been shared by the immigrant rights advocates of Puente Human Rights Movement, a Phoenix-based organization that has operated the Migra Watch hotline since Donald Trump retook control of the White House.

Dozens of protesters, affiliated with organizations such as Puente and the Phoenix branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), were present near a Walmart at 67th and Peoria avenues. According to witnesses, agents moved swiftly to different areas within the surrounding neighborhood throughout the morning and afternoon.

Agents traveling in unmarked pickup trucks wearing black vests with the words “POLICE” printed on them, along with officers from the Peoria Police Department cordoned off a residential area, blocking protesters and members of the press from entering the vicinity.

Recent ICE operations have been characterized by masked agents wearing vests with the words “POLICE” or “HSI,” as part of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agency, traveling in unmarked vehicles.

An ICE spokesperson could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.

Peoria police told ABC 15 that its officers were there to support HSI agents serving a search warrant on a drug-related offense, but provided no additional details.

As a police officer asked community members to move to another area, a protester yelled out, “Wherever you go, we’re going to follow!” letting agents know that they had no intention of walking away.

Emotions ran high as protesters dressed in black screamed and hurled insults at law enforcement officers. According to a statement from Peoria police, was arrested after assaulting a sergeant. 

Video footage captured by CALÓ News showed the protester flinging yellow police tape at the officer and shouting in his face before he smacked her with a metal water container.

Chaos ensued as demonstrators flung water at the officers. The woman was tased and pinned to the ground while other police officers formed a barrier around the young woman and pushed away angry activists as they detained her and placed her into a police vehicle. Activists circled around the officers, screaming at them to release her. 

“An attack on a police officer is never appropriate. These men and women risk their own lives and safety to do the job we’ve asked them to do,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a statement.

“While their assumption that he was involved in an immigration enforcement was wrong, let me be clear: assaulting a police officer, or hurting another person, or damaging property for any reason is not acceptable and those who do so will be held accountable for their unlawful actions.”

However, there were conflicting reports from immigration advocates on what was behind the police presence in Peoria. Advocates believed police were indeed targeting immigrants and knocking on doors throughout the neighborhood. 

According to Ricardo Reyes with Common Defense, a veteran-run organization that advocates for immigrant rights, they have been tracking ICE activity and warrants and had credible information regarding raids taking place Tuesday and throughout the week.

Volunteers like him have been present where ICE is being sighted, he said, to record agents, put public pressure on them and remind them that people are watching them 

According to Reyes, volunteers with the organization spotted ICE agents at a local gas station early Tuesday morning targeting construction workers and landscapers, “not the criminals that they’re claiming they’re going after, not the murderers or the rapists, these are just everyday people trying to live their lives, live their American Dream, who are being caught up in the dragnet of no due process and no warrants, with masked people just telling them you have to come with them because they’re from ICE.”

Additional ICE activity was reported in Maryvale, off Indian School Road near 19th and 27th avenues, and near 48th Avenue and Broadway Road in south Phoenix.

Phoenix saw an uptick in immigration enforcement activity in May when ICE agents began detaining migrants minutes after their immigration court cases were dismissed, waiting just outside the downtown Phoenix courthouse to apprehend individuals as they exited the building.

Similar to Tuesday’s response, dozens of community members, activists and politicians showed up at the courthouse protesting the rapid deportation tactics implemented by ICE and remained in the area throughout that week.

ICE concerns in metro Phoenix come on the heels of immigration enforcement operations taking place in Los Angeles since Friday, which have erupted in mass protests throughout the city, leading Trump to deploy thousands of troops from the National Guard and the U.S. Marines to attempt to quell civil unrest.

Know your rights

Puente, PSL and other local organizations like Proyecto Progreso and Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA), are engaging community members, reminding them they are not alone, sharing resources and keeping them informed on the latest enforcement activity.

Here are some resources immigrants and those who participate in acts of civil unrest should keep in mind.

For immigrants at risk

• Understand your rights when interacting with the police. You have the right to remain silent if you are questioned by a police officer. You are not required to reveal your immigration status to local police or federal agents, except in certain situations. Here is a link to helpful materials on what to do if you are stopped: ACLU Know Your Rights.

• Make a plan for your family. If a family member is detained or deported, they may not be able to care for their children or make decisions about their property. In these cases, it is important to have legal documents that give power to a trusted family member or friend. Check out this guide from the Florence Project on how to make a family plan.

• Get good legal advice. Now is the time to speak with a qualified immigration attorney about the options you and your family may have to obtain legal status. Be wary of "notarios" or businesses that promise to obtain legal status if you pay a high fee, as they are often scams.

• Stay informed. Please check in with your local organizations and rapid response teams, checking their website or social accounts frequently to stay up to date with news regarding enforcement activity.

For allies

• Stand in solidarity with immigrant communities. Report ICE activity to the Migra Watch hotline at 480-506-7437.

• Show up to protect your neighbors. Remember, nonviolent resistance is essential and if you engage in demonstrations, do so peacefully, de-escalate tensions, avoid provocateurs and act responsibly.

• Demand action. Call your local and federal representatives and demand immediate action to protect immigrant communities. Find out how at https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials/.