As immigration raids increase under the second Trump administration, community organizers are faced with the difficult task of helping local immigrants stay safe and defend their rights.
Voces de la Frontera is one such organization that is fighting for immigrants’ rights through the management of their bilingual Community Emergency Line.
Karen Romo, Emergency Line Lead Organizer at Voces de la Frontera, stated that preparations for these services started before the year began, in response to the 2024 election.
“[The emergency line] is part of a broader, statewide strategy of community defense which includes know your rights, rapid response efforts which include mutual aid and legal defense support in collaboration with regional and local partners.” Romo told Open Doors for Refugees.
“They help make sure families stay safe, rumors are verified and people’s rights are protected,” Romo said.
The hotline is especially relevant after seven people were arrested in Madison last month during what Voces claims was a targeted ICE raid. Voces emphasized the role that the line has in dispelling fear in immigrant communities during events like this.
“[Line volunteers] contact trusted local sources – like police departments, community members and legal partners – to confirm if it’s really an ICE operation or something else,” Romo said. “This helps stop the spread of false alerts and keeps our community informed with verified facts.”
Fake alerts about raids occurring is a rising trend in the past year that has caused many immigrants to feel uneasy and created challenges for organizers trying to inform their communities, according to NPR. Immigration-focused organizations, like the American Immigration Council, have continually stressed the importance of information campaigns (like “Know Your Rights”) and community outreach when it comes to preventing arrests.
The hotline’s approach to information collecting emphasizes on-the-ground experiences to better serve the immigrant community.
“[Volunteers] have been trained to collect crucial information and/or loved one’s phone number in an emergency situation,” Romo said. “Verifiers also canvas the neighborhood where ICE was present (or rumored to be) and offer know your rights cards and resources to the community for additional support.”
The hotline, staffed by both paid and volunteer members of Voces de la Frontera, is one of many across the country offering similar services as ICE agents under the second Trump administration have begun conducting raids on workplaces and public places where undocumented immigrants are believed to congregate.
For Romo, the line’s volunteers “are the first line of community defense.”
The multilingual Community Emergency Line can be reached at 1-800-427-0213.
