In March, when mass deportation operations were just beginning, Mayra got a call from an immigrant nanny asking for help because immigration agents were knocking on her door. Mayra reminded her of the protocols to follow in that situation.
“We had taught her her rights– you know you can’t open the door, you can’t talk, go to the back room of your apartment, and let’s keep texting, I’m on my way to your house right now,” Mayra said in an interview with La Alianza.
When she arrived, the agents were about to leave. From a nearby park, Mayra, who is also an immigrant, watched them from a distance while continuing to communicate with the nanny.
“I told her, ‘I’m across the street from your house,'” she recalls. “I’m not going to knock on your door, don’t open the door, but I’m here and don’t be afraid, you’re not alone.”
Mayra is a domestic worker, community leader, and member of a neighborhood watch group in Massachusetts that warns the community about ICE actions. She also coordinates a WhatsApp group with 40 nannies in her area.
What began as a need to protect domestic workers has grown into an organized network of women who decided to take action to protect themselves and their community from raids.
“We started getting calls at 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning that immigration agents were in the city,” she recalls. “We said, Yes, it would be great to go out and patrol the streets… at first we were afraid, but we said, if we have to live through this, we’ll help each other.”
Community resistance to raids
In June, Trump ordered an expansion of migrant detentions and deportations across the country, which has intensified the role of community patrols, now a key line of defense for many immigrant families.
Warning calls are the first line of action. When someone reports the presence of ICE, Mayra sends messages on WhatsApp to warn nannies not to leave the house and provides details on the streets and characteristics of the vehicles detected.
If the situation escalates, they contact a rapid response team made up of local residents and organizations whose goal is to protect and defend the local immigrant community.
These groups go to places where immigration agents are present to record videos, observe from a distance, and provide legal support to affected families.
“One of the times that impacted me the most was the day someone was arrested half a block from my house,” Mayra says of the detention of an immigrant at a car repair shop. “They came in violently, pulled out their guns, and pointed them at everyone who was there. That’s when I said, ‘They are violating people’s rights.'”
The network created by Mayra and her colleagues is now part of LUCE, a coalition of neighborhood groups and legal support organizations. Each “captain” coordinates a specific area, and they divide up the streets where they will patrol.
“The people save the people.”
Across the country, domestic workers are organizing and taking a leading role in defending their communities against increased raids and deportations. By creating their own groups and joining rapid response networks, they are forming grassroots coalitions that offer support and protection.
These initiatives include patrols to detect the presence of ICE, hotlines to share alerts, workshops on labor and immigration rights, and the exchange of resources among themselves.
Mayra and her group hold workshops with lawyers on what to do in case of arrest, help secure legal representation, and provide emotional support to affected families.
Even though she knows that her activism could affect her own immigration status, Mayra does not stop. “As we say, the people save the people. And if we don’t do it, no one else will do it for us.”
Today, the network continues to grow, informing neighbors and planning new ways to warn them in real time. For her, strength lies in collective courage. “Let’s be brave, because we are strong women. Our voice, which is in the dark and unheard, must rise up forcefully.”
Employers as allies
In the northeastern U.S., Addy coordinates a Facebook group with some 300 to 400 members, mostly domestic workers. The group’s goal is to warn about ICE activities in the region and verify the information before sharing it with the local rapid response team.
“When we get an alert, we go to the area and patrol… We take pictures, send in the location, and notify the rapid response group. Then, when it is confirmed, it is published,” says Addy.
The initiative has made many workers feel more supported and secure, and has also motivated several employers to join efforts to protect their workers from deportation.
“They themselves said, ‘How can we help?’… Many have told us, ‘We don’t want to lose you,'” Addy explains. “They know our needs and that we are afraid to go to work because of what is happening, that we could be caught on the street, in the store, on the bus, anywhere.”
Some employers now participate in rapid response groups, where they report suspicious cars, attend protests, and warn about the presence of immigration agents.
As an additional precaution, some have stopped recommending workers for other jobs, preventing strangers from obtaining information about them and their routines amid a climate of widespread fear.
“That has given us strength, because now we know we are not alone.”
But Addy’s work goes beyond alerts. The support network also includes practical solutions for everyday life, such as teaching workers how to order products online to avoid unnecessary outings or coordinating help with shopping.
Breaking down isolation and fear
She and other colleagues seek to break down the isolation of those who are still afraid, sharing information and teaching them how to protect themselves.
That’s why when she tells them, “don’t be afraid,” she does so with the intention of giving them strength and support. “Of course I’m afraid, but I keep it to myself. Fear keeps us from thinking and moving forward. If you give in to fear, you don’t prepare yourself,” says Addy.
“I want them to feel that they have support, that they trust me and the people who are working to keep them from feeling alone or unprotected.”
Editor’s note: This article was originally written in Spanish and translated into English by Tilde Language Justice Cooperative
