Community Defense Guide

The Community Defense Guide is a vital resource for activists, offering essential skills in first aid, rapid response, and collective support, whether from home or on the front lines. Equip yourself with the knowledge needed to protect and stand in solidarity with your neighbors when it matters most.

ICE OUT RAPID RESPONSE TOOLS

Defend your neighbors! Build an autonomous collective Rapid Response team within your own community!

EMERGENCY ICE ALERT NETWORK: To receive alerts text “JOIN” to 877-322-2299 – To report ICE activity text “REPORT” to 877-322-2299

Rapid Response Resources:

Defend 612 (Twin Cities Rapid Response)

Guides & Toolkits:

Other Resources:

Know Your Rights:

For Your “Go Bag”:

ICE Watch/Community Defense Work:

For Your Safety/Privacy:

Legal Resources:

Digital Tools:

STAND UP – BITE BACK!

With the help (humor and ingenuity) of a comrade and the story of a fellow Minnesotan taking an alleged bite out of our unconstitutional and unjust invasion within our state – we present to our global collective the newest model of 3-d printable whistle. The ‘Severed Finger Whistle’ will not only allow for you to do the hard work and grab the attention needed on the ground whenever you spot an ICE agent or need to utilize a whistle – but it will also add a fun feel to the whole thing… knowing that we’re at this point in U.S. history.

DOWNLOAD: Severed Finger Whistle (CC – BY-SA-NC)
Follow Creator: _whiskey_kitten_

Note: Resin print, 0.05mm layer height. High resolution.

MSP Whistle Info

MSP Whistle Zines:

Defend and Recruit:

UNITED WE ARE STRONGER

CODE 1

BLOW IN A BROKEN RHYTHM

(PRE-PRE-PRE-PRE)

TO ALERT OTHERS AGENTS ARE IN THE AREA

CODE 2

BLOW IN A CONTINUOUS, STEADY RHYTHM

(PREEEEE-PREEEEE-PREEEEE)
AGENTS ARE ACTIVELY DETAINING SOMEONE

FORM A CROWD. STAY LOUD.

STAY NONVIOLENT – DON’T STAY SILENT.

What to do when you see ICE:

Remember to breathe. Stay calm.
Initiate a S.A.L.U.T.E. to report to your local rapid response team.
Maintain a SAFE distance, do not interfere with agents.
Advocate for your neighbor, advise them of their legal rights.
Record the interaction, document the agents.
Report the agency activities, plates, and experiences through you local networks.
Utilize a whistle to warn others in the area. If you hear a whistle – join.
Keep responding. Protect your community.
You can utilize your ‘car alarm’ to warn others even from a distance.

Rapid Response Hotlines

Twin Ports Rapid Response

(218) 213-5009

See or experience an ICE raid in the Duluth / Superior region? Call us.

Learn more

COPAL Hotline

612-255-3112

Call the COPAL helpline immediately if you witness activity or a family/neighbor is impacted and needs support.

Learn more about COPAL

Monarca Hotline

612-441-2881

Based in the Twin Cities

If you see any federal activity, call this hotline.

Learn more

Immigrant Defense Network

If you see something, record it. Video documentation helps protect our communities and please send it to info@immigrantdefensenetwork.org with a description of what happened.

Learn more about IDN

Legal Help

Monarca

651-372-8642

Have legal questions? (non-emergency line)

Learn more

Immigrant Law Center Minnesota

651-641-1011

Detention Intake Hotline

Learn more

Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid

877-696-6529

Learn more

MN Chapter of National Lawyers Guild

612-444-2654

MN NLG

The Advocates for Human Rights

612-341-9845

Learn more

ACLU Intake Forms

Minnesota ICE Observer & Protestor Rights form:

Rights Violated by ICE or Federal Forces? Let us know!

Learn more

Report racial profiling, warrantless stops, detention by federal law enforcement to ACLU-MN:

Learn more

Responding to ICE Activity

Notes from Upstander Training

from Unidos MN

Why is it important to witness?

Accountabiity of ICE agants
Potential to prevent deportation
Share legal rights information for targeted people

Moral witness

Solidarity
Nothing happens in the dark

How to prepare

Be ready to witness difficult moments
It may be over by the time you get there
Let someone know where you are going
Don’t worry about having too many responders

What to bring

Notebook & pen/pencil
Phone (password protected)
Portable charger
Water/snacks
Know your rights information

What not to bring

Children
Pets
Anything that is or looks like a weapon

How to respond

Take notes/film ICE agents
Do not interfere or aggravate — legal witnessing is not protesting
Step back if asked, you don’t have to stop filming
Ask targeted person if they have a name or phone number you can contact on their behalf

What to document

Names & badge numbers of ICE agents or other officers
Name or phone numbers of those being detained
Where they are taking people
Warrant information
What ICE agents do or say

Do not

Give legal advice beyond basic rights
Film people being detained other than during direct interaction with ICE
Livestream
Post on social media without consulting first with an immigrant rights organization

Observers have the right to

Document, film, and observe ICE agents
Share basic rights with people
Ask for information from agents
Refuse to answer questions
Remember: don’t be rude, don’t fight, don’t obstruct, stay out of the way

Key phrases

“I want to remain silent”
“I do not consent to a search”
“Am I being detained or am I free to go?”
“I would like to speak with my lawyer”

Immigrants have the right to:

Remain silent
Not open the door unless there is a search warrant signed by a judge”
Refuse to sign anything
Legal representation

Key phrases to share with targeted people

¡No abra la puerta!: Don’t open the door!
¡Guarda Silencio!: Remain silent!
¡No firme nada!: Don’t sign anything!
Hable con un abogado: Speak with a lawyer

Talking with the media

You don’t have to — it is ok to say no
Think about what you want to say ahead of time
Lead with values, such as freedom, family, love, naming that they’re shared across races, classes, and backgrounds

Media: You could say …

Remember — lead with shared values

“I am here because I believe in keeping our families and communities whole”
“I am here because every family deserves the opportunity to thrive, without fear of being torn apart”
“People have always moved in search of safety and a better life — it is part of our shared history”
“Politicians scapegoat aspiring citizens to divide us and distract from the real issues we face”
“I want my tax dollars to build up our communities, not tear families apart”
“Deportations don’t make us safer, they hurt our neighbors, our economy, and our future”
“When our communities live in fear, we all lose. We need solutions that bring us together, not policies that cause harm.”

Learn more about Unidos US

Learn more about Unidos MN

ICE Out of Minnesota & America!

Stand Against The Oppression & State Violence In Minnesota & Beyond!

Neighbors Rise Up Together!

On Dec 1, the federal government initiated ‘Operation Metro Surge’ in the Twin Cities — deploying ICE and other federal enforcement agencies to Minneapolis, St. Paul and the surrounding suburbs.

In the days since – as Somali, Latinx and immigrant communities have faced relentless harassment, intimidation, and abduction, detention, and deportation – thousands of community members across dozens of neighborhoods and cities have mounted hyper-local decentralized community defense structures and actions to protect their communities.

Through organizing their own autonomous, decentralized rapid response networks, neighbors have kept each other informed about ICE activity in real-time and have quickly come together to actively protect their family, friends, neighbors, blocks, schools, places of worship, neighborhoods, and cities.

In this moment, there are thousands of people with the energy and willingness to be active and take risks to protect their community from militarization, occupation, kidnappings, and abductions. Many neighborhoods in Minneapolis have already created support and Rapid Response groups with emerging structures and processes for getting involved; others are in process and searching for each other. What is true across the entire Twin Cities metro is that none of us are alone.

A Community in Mourning

On January 7, 2026, Renee Nicole Macklin Good, just 37 years old, was brutally shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Stopped in her car, she was approached by agents, and as she attempted to flee, one officer reached into her window while another fired three shots, taking her life. In a shocking display of disregard for human life, federal officials, including President Trump, claim the agent acted in self-defense, falsely asserting that Renee tried to run him over.

This despicable narrative has been fiercely challenged by eyewitnesses, journalists, and local leaders, all demanding a thorough criminal investigation. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Governor Tim Walz have called for an end to the federal presence in our city. In response to this senseless violence, thousands have taken to the streets, not just in Minneapolis, but in cities like Chicago, New York City, and Washington, D.C., standing against the terror that ICE inflicts on our communities.

We, the people of Minnesota, are outraged. We mourn our sister, Renee, and our grief transforms into a fierce determination to defend the rights of all neighbors, regardless of race, gender identity, religion, or nation of origin. We recognize we occupy stolen land and honor our ancestors by fighting back against this oppression.

The Community Defense Guide will be continuously updated, a living tribute to Renee and a toolkit for our struggle. We will not allow our communities to be unjustly targeted, oppressed, or murdered. We will rise up and demand justice for Renee and for all who face violence within the borders of our state and beyond.