Los Angeles teachers patrol neighborhoods to shield students from ICE raids

Elementary teachers in Los Angeles volunteer to monitor school surroundings each morning, aiming to warn families of any ICE activity and keep children safe.

Before the school day begins, teachers like Ingrid Villeda and her colleague Olga cruise the south-side of Los Angeles, photographing license plates of vehicles they suspect are ICE-affiliated and alerting families to potential raids. Their effort is part of a citywide volunteer program coordinated by Unión del Barrio, which includes roughly 60 educators trained at United Teachers Los Angeles to document ICE presence despite the risk of detention.

The initiative grew after LAUSD reported at least two student arrests and several parent detentions, including a 15-year-old special-needs teen held at gunpoint in August 2025 and an 18-year-old student taken to detention centers in California, Arizona and possibly Louisiana. In response, the district has increased visible security, instituted rapid-response protocols, and now permits parents to accompany children onto school grounds.

Volunteers display magnets stating “Protecting communities from ICE terror and kidnappings” and use a secret code to lock doors and shelter students if agents appear. Teachers also run workshops for families on how to react during a raid, and many say the work, though exhausting, gives parents a sense of protection.