After an ICE arrest of a contract worker working on one of the building projects at the senior retirement community where I live (he was on public property at the time), I thought about the benefits of having a phone tree, a communications contact list using phone calls and/or texts, so a resident who saw ICE on or around our campus could notify other residents. My intention was to enable those who desired to do so to go to where ICE agents were located so they could bear witness to what they did in the hopes that their being observed would discourage illegal and unneccessary brutality. I also thought that if videos were taken of such actions it also might keep the agents in line, and that if something went awry those videos could be shared with the media or even the courts if it came to legal action, to further discourage untoward ICE agent behavior.
Then, after sharing my idea with a few residents and having some of them express as interest in being on such a list, I realized that there were both pros and cons to this besides what I considered the unlikely risk of being physically injured by overzealous ICE agents. I’d orginally thought only of the pros. Then I started thinking of the cons, of the risks, particularly the legal ones, participants in such an endeavor might face. These thoughts hit me at midnight when I decided I’d write this Substack. I couldn’t stop thinking about what I wanted to say, so I got up.
Rather than wait until morning to consult with a resident friend who lives where I do about this, I decided to do the easiest and next best thing. This would take absolutely no creative effort. Not would I only obtain the information I wanted, but much of the writing would be done for me. I know this is lazy, but it also saves a lot of time.
I asked DuckDuckGo, which uses ChatGPT, which composes answers to questions and does internet research for you on any topic.
This is the inquiry shown on the top of the page:
What are the pros and cons of having and being on an ICE alert phone tree so you can both witness and take videos of an ICE immigration action. Explain that a reason for doing thi would be to discourage illegal ICE brutality. Include the legal and personal risks. Include the risk of being charged with a crime and being sued. Include the risk of being physically hurt. Include references to articles about this and about what ICE has done to try to stop online ICE location websites.
This is the answer.
Pros and Cons of Having an ICE Alert Phone Tree
An ICE alert phone tree allows community members to witness and document ICE immigration actions by coordinating quick responses to reported operations. This initiative aims to discourage potential misconduct or brutality by ICE agents through community oversight. However, it comes with both benefits and risks.
PROS and CONS below
Accountability: Documenting ICE actions can expose illegal activities and human rights abuses.
Legal Risks: Filming or providing assistance during ICE raids may lead to charges for obstruction or interfering with law enforcement.
Community Solidarity:
An alert phone tree fosters a sense of unity and support among community members.
Physical Danger: Participants may face the risk of violence from ICE officials, especially in tense situations.
Deterrent Effect: Increased visibility may reduce instances of illegitimate brutality against detainees.
Civil Lawsuits: Individuals involved could face lawsuits if they are accused of disrupting official actions.
Documentation for Advocacy: Videos and testimonies can serve as evidence for legal and advocacy efforts.
Surveillance Risks: Active participation in these alerts might attract additional scrutiny from ICE or law enforcement, leading to heightened surveillance of individuals.
Empowerment:
Equips individuals with tools and strategies to respond effectively to ICE actions.
Emotional Toll: Witnessing such events can take a psychological toll on participants, leading to stress or fear within the community.
Legal and Personal Risks
Legal Risks
Engaging in activities related to ICE actions—such as filming or attempting to record might invoke charges of obstruction of justice if officials perceive involvement as disruptive. Additionally, legal battles can result over civil claims made by ICE or individual agents.
Physical Risks
Filming or witnessing ICE actions can escalate to confrontations, wherein individuals risk bodily harm either from ICE agents or opposing parties who may be present at the scene. Accounts of ICE using excessive force are prominent, exemplifying the potential dangers involved.
Surveillance and Targeting
ICE has increasingly employed sophisticated surveillance technologies to monitor dissent and opposition, exacerbating the risk for individuals involved. Programs that track social media and mobile location data mean that those using alert systems or attending events could find themselves under scrutiny.
Discouraging ICE Brutality
The primary intention behind conducting these actions, including forming alert phone trees, is to create transparency and deter ICE agents from engaging in unlawful or brutal behavior. Documented evidence can corroborate claims of abuse that might otherwise go unreported. Organizations advocating for immigrants’ rights strongly encourage this form of community documentation as a countermeasure to violence and intimidation.
Articles about Actions Taken by ICE
ICE has taken significant measures against online platforms that share information about its locations and activities. This includes using advanced surveillance systems to track individuals and groups that share this information. For instance, ICE has reportedly launched campaigns to scrutinize and potentially target those labeled as “domestic terrorists” for their anti-ICE activities. These actions underscore the heightened state of conflict and surveillance that surrounds community efforts to resist ICE operations.
Enhancing community responsiveness through phone trees empowers individuals, but it also demands careful consideration of the associated risks and ramifications. In navigating these efforts, communities must remain aware of the ongoing landscape of legal repercussions and surveillance tactics employed by ICE.
Search Results
I am now taking the position that it has to be a personal decision made unilaterally whether or not someone decides to do anything about an ICE action, whether to just be there or to take a video of it.
I wrote a short Substack a few days ago titled “Elders Against ICE, Revolutionary War Patriots fought the Redcoats and Hessians, during WWII The Resistance fought the Nazis, today our patriots are dealing with ICE and all it represents.” I was feeling that sense of empowerment when first someone feels helpless to stop a perceived evil and then thinks of something to actually do. I used an AI illustrator to make the image below:
I believe elders can play a significant role in fighting the abuses which are occurring in what seems like a mad rush to deport as many people as possible who do not have the legal right to be in this country. This would be part of, but certainly not all of, their taking a stand against the direction Trump is taking the country. It hopefully would emphasize that we of the post-World War II generation may be mocked as physically doddering and mentally feeble but our wisdom is something valuable that is dismissed at great detrement to the community at large, that is, to the entire country.
In the article below the 10 countries who most value their elders are listed. The United States in not on the list.
My sense is that aside from Native Americans and citizens of Asian descent, the majority of Americans in general, while they cherish their elders, they do not value their wisdom. We see this with the move to replace some older members of Congress, not because they are no longer effective, but just because of their age.
Once a week at the senior community where I live we have a demonstration along the lightly traveled road next to our campus. It isn’t about ICE, far from it. It is against what ICE represents.
We all stand, sit in walkers, or on motorized chairs and hold our homemade signs as 95% of the vehicles who drive by honk or have their drivers and passengers give us indications of their support. It is very gratifying. Many of us cheer when the driver of an out of service public bus or an Amazon truck honks at us.
We haven’t had a fire truck drive by three or four times to show support as happened at a huge protest we went to on the Oct. 18th. No Kings Day protest.
The ages of those protesting here range from early retirement age to I think our oldest protester who is 96. I’m 81 and my partner is also 81. I’d say this is the average age.
I wish there was a national movement of seniors that could not only put their bodies out there to protest not just what ICE is doing but the entire move towards authoritarianism that is happening in our country. Perhaps it could be actually named “Elders Against Authoritarianism.” I have no idea how to start something like this except to post this Substack and hope for something more to come of it.
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