How to Get ICE Out of Your Town

Summary

Next Comes What: How to Get ICE Out of Your Town

Hosted by Andrea Pitzer
Release Date: August 6, 2025

In this compelling episode of Next Comes What?, author Andrea Pitzer delves into the pervasive issue of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and their profound impact on local communities. Through insightful discussions and an in-depth conversation with Oliver Merino of the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Pitzer explores actionable strategies to mitigate ICE's influence in towns across America.

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I. Introduction: The Growing Threat of ICE Raids

00:00 – 02:10

Andrea Pitzer opens the episode by highlighting the alarming increase in ICE raids across various parts of the United States. She paints a vivid picture of communities living in fear, where everyday activities like going to work, shopping, or attending church become sources of anxiety due to the looming presence of ICE agents.

Andrea Pitzer [00:30]: "Whole communities live in fear of going to work, grocery store or to church."

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II. The Impact on Education and Community Well-being

02:11 – 05:42

Pitzer references a Stanford University study revealing a 20% uptick in school absences in California during early 2025, attributing this rise to heightened immigration enforcement. The conversation underscores how ICE operations extend beyond individual fears, disrupting the fabric of communities and affecting the daily lives of children and families.

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III. Understanding ICE’s Collaboration with Local Law Enforcement

05:42 – 12:11

A significant portion of the discussion centers on the voluntary collaboration between local sheriffs and ICE, particularly in Alexandria, Virginia. Oliver Merino elucidates how this partnership goes beyond legal obligations, with sheriffs actively assisting ICE in detentions and deportations.

Oliver Merino [06:16]: "The sheriff is holding people past their release time again in order for ICE to come and pick them up."

Pitzer and Merino explore the legality and morality of such collaborations, questioning the ethical stance of local law enforcement agencies that choose to align with federal deportation efforts.

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IV. Strategies to Dismantle Local ICE Collaborations

12:11 – 21:04

Merino outlines comprehensive strategies for communities to resist ICE’s reach:

1. Inform the Public: Educate community members about local ICE collaborations and their implications.
2. Community Organizing: Host meetings and engage with local government representatives to demand the end of ICE partnerships.
3. Legal Support: Advocate for legal representation for detained immigrants to ensure fair treatment and uphold constitutional rights.
4. Mutual Aid and Support Networks: Establish hotlines and volunteer groups to monitor and report ICE activities accurately.

Andrea Pitzer [08:24]: "We are going to be having a series of community meetings inviting people to learn more, but also ask questions."

Merino emphasizes the power of local action over federal influence, encouraging citizens to utilize their immediate environment to effect change.

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V. The Broader Context of Immigration Detention

21:04 – 24:05

Pitzer discusses the historical and systemic issues surrounding immigration detention in the United States. Highlighting reports of abuse and inhumane treatment in detention centers, she underscores the longstanding challenges faced by immigrant communities.

Unnamed Speaker [21:17]: "Detention officers made men eat while shackled with their hands behind their backs. We had to bend over and eat off the chairs with our mouths like dogs."

This segment frames current efforts within a larger narrative of persistent injustices, reinforcing the urgency for sustained community resistance.

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VI. Hope Through Community Engagement and Solidarity

24:05 – 26:18

Oliver Merino shares a personal perspective on the importance of community solidarity and continuous engagement. He recounts his journey from attending a demonstration to leading initiatives that support and protect immigrant neighbors.

Oliver Merino [21:51]: "Transformation that happens, that is very helpful for me. And I've seen that over and over again."

Pitzer concludes by reiterating the various actionable steps listeners can take, from ending local ICE collaborations to providing legal aid and participating in mutual aid efforts. She emphasizes that impactful change begins at the grassroots level, urging listeners to become active participants in their communities.

Andrea Pitzer [24:05]: "What are you waiting for?"

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Key Takeaways

1. Awareness and Education: Understanding the scope and impact of ICE's local collaborations is crucial.
2. Community Mobilization: Organizing and engaging with local leaders can pressure authorities to sever ties with ICE.
3. Legal Advocacy: Ensuring immigrants have access to legal representation can safeguard their rights.
4. Mutual Aid: Supporting affected individuals through food banks, mutual aid groups, and direct assistance strengthens community resilience.
5. Persistent Engagement: Continuous presence and participation in community actions are essential for sustained change.

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Notable Quotes

• Andrea Pitzer [00:30]: "Whole communities live in fear of going to work, grocery store or to church."
• Oliver Merino [06:16]: "The sheriff is holding people past their release time again in order for ICE to come and pick them up."
• Unnamed Speaker [21:17]: "Detention officers made men eat while shackled with their hands behind their backs. We had to bend over and eat off the chairs with our mouths like dogs."
• Andrea Pitzer [24:05]: "What are you waiting for?"

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Conclusion and Call to Action

Andrea Pitzer's episode serves as a clarion call for communities to take proactive steps against ICE's encroachment. By fostering local alliances, educating citizens, and providing tangible support to immigrants, individuals can collectively diminish ICE's presence and uphold the values of justice and humanity. Merino's insights and actionable advice empower listeners to become catalysts for change within their own towns.

Listen to the full episode at Andreapitzer.com and join the movement to protect and support immigrant communities nationwide.

Transcript

[Andrea Pitzer]

You're listening to Next Comes what from Degenerate Art. This is Andrea Pitzer. Greetings from Delaware. We are on the road with Next Comes what? I'm out of town, but I didn't want to miss doing this episode for you. In several parts of the country, if you look around, our neighbors are getting dragged away by ice.

[Oliver Merino]

Watch the back.

[Andrea Pitzer]

Watch our back. Watch our back.

[Oliver Merino]

I'm not resisting, man. What's your problem? What are you looking for?

[Andrea Pitzer]

What are you looking for? Whole communities live in fear of going to work, grocery store or to church.

[Oliver Merino]

And new research shows immigration enforcement may have also affected school attendance. This year, Stanford University found a more than 20% uptick in absences in several California schools during the first two months of 2025 compared to last year.

[Andrea Pitzer]

Those who are detained are often mistreated and sent to abusive detention facilities at home and abroad without any due process. I have to tell you, one of my favorite things to watch on YouTube these days are the court hearings where illegals are in court and I shows up to drag them out of court and deport them. Now, normally I really try to include some history in these episodes, even when I'm looking at current events. I looked at how this idea of rounding up a whole bunch of civilians, non combatants, and putting them in detention without trial, how did that get to be seen as a good idea? And it turns out it's been tried all over the world again and again. But so many people have written me to ask how they can keep ICE out of their town and help protect their neighbors that I want to focus on that today. In the past, I've given some suggestions about ways to take action, but I think people are still having trouble getting started or feeling like they know exactly what to do. The first thing to understand is that you don't have to have the whole landscape sketched out before you get going. It's fine to start small and to learn as you go. But part of what I can do as someone with an audience who can easily connect to people already doing this work, is to bring you one of the people who work day in and day out.

[Oliver Merino]

It is in this moment where I think local communities can step in and say, we don't agree with this.

[Andrea Pitzer]

For justice and for the fair treatment of immigrants. We need volunteers to bag. We need volunteers to deliver bought with donations through the El Monte Business Alliance. They worked with Cortez to launch El Monte Cares, a route rapid response initiative to the raids. Make sure we have some produce and it's always a good idea to let your member of Congress and your senators know how important this issue is to you. The number one thing that we hear from members of Congress explaining why they are not taking the position we want is nobody's calling my office about it. But today we're going to mostly focus on the local approach. I'll spend a lot of this episode sharing a conversation I had last week with the colleague of a friend of mine, someone in Northern Virginia who is already doing this work and who interacts with others at many levels of knowledge and experience.

[Oliver Merino]

My name is Oliver Merino. I work at the Immigrant Legal Resource center, and I live in Alexandria.

[Andrea Pitzer]

I asked Oliver to walk us through what he's currently working on in Alexandria, what his group's goals are, and how people might be able to make use of similar approaches in their own communities. And she said that everyone that's helping is an angel. He began by explaining a little bit about what's happening right now.

[Oliver Merino]

There was an article recently from the New York Times that describes the increase of immigration enforcement in Virginia. Specifically, I think it was over 300% compared to 2024. I think in these last few months, just of 2025, more than 3,000 people have been arrested by guys in the state. Obviously, for many, many of us, we've seen the footage and really just disregard for people's rights when it comes to is attaining them and abducting them. For many people, this is maybe the first time that they're like discovering what's happening. For many of us that have been in the movement for some time, we know the abuses that happen when ICE is in the streets, when ICE is arresting people, the abuses that happen in detention centers, the inhumane treatment that happen in these facilities, and the lack of due process that people have when they go against an immigration judge or an administration, really regardless of who is in the administration, we've seen that happen over and over again.

[Andrea Pitzer]

In my experience, if you talk to friends or relatives who may be more sympathetic to ice, sometimes they'll say about local law enforcement, well, they have to do this. I can think of nothing more American. They're required by law to do these things. And we all have Donald J. Trump to thank for it. Are you saying they should just break the law? And that's one of the issues I wanted to address with Oliver, because in many cases that's just not true.

[Oliver Merino]

That's right. But there's certain things that they are required to do when someone is booked into the jail, asking them whether a citizen or not fingerprinting them, sharing those fingerprints with federal agencies, those type of things that they have to do. By law, they cannot break those things. But there's certain actions that the sheriff is taking and that other also law enforcement agencies across the country are taking to facilitate arrests for ICE and to facilitate deportations.

[Andrea Pitzer]

Oliver explained that there are a lot of towns and cities across the country that collaborate with ICE in ways that help ICE detain and deport immigrants. He noted that in Alexandria, Virginia, this happens in three specific ways for many, but not all, US Citizens. If someone is booked into a jail, they get charged, and whether it's a misdemeanor or a felony, they might be released or pay bail or a fine and agree to come to a court date at a later time or serve a sentence. But that's not the case for everybody.

[Oliver Merino]

For immigrants, it's different. For many immigrants, often there's a double punishment of detention and deportation. What the sheriff is doing here in Alexandria, Virginia, is he's calling ICE to let them know to pick up someone from jail when they are released. He is holding people past their release time again in order for ICE to come and pick them up. And the third one is that he's honoring ICE warrants and detainers.

[Andrea Pitzer]

The difference between judicial warrants and ICE warrants for detainers is basically that the ICE warrant is a formal request for assistance, whereas a judge's warrant has legal obligations attached to it. Honoring ICE warrants and detainers is not mandatory.

[Oliver Merino]

All of these actions that the sheriff is taking, all of these are voluntarily, meaning that he's going beyond what is required by law to collaborate with ice. You know, one of the things to understand about mass deportations is it requires local collaboration. Folks may remember the budget reconciliation recently that was discussed in Congress and was passed, this proposal from President Trump to give more money to ICE and more money for detention. I think we are about to see the dramatic increase of detention and arrests of immigrants in this country unless local communities step up and say, we don't want to be part of this. And that's what we're doing here in Alexandria. I think the community did not elect the sheriff to serve as an immigration agent. He has mentioned that he publicly that he does not do immigration enforcement, which is, in our view, a very inaccurate way of describing what he's doing. I think the people that elected him should know the collaboration that he's having with ice. That's why we're having this campaign to demand that he ends all voluntary collaboration with ice.

[Andrea Pitzer]

I asked Oliver to lay out exactly what his organization and the community are doing to end this kind of collaboration. And he noted that before he got involved with the current Alexandria ICE efforts, the community had already successfully pressured the local sheriff's department to end a formal partnership and make other concessions, too. Local activists met with the sheriff and city council, and Oliver's current work is a continuation of those prior and ongoing efforts.

[Oliver Merino]

We have met already with community members. We have had conversations with the sheriff himself before, earlier this year, where we asked them directly to end this collaboration and why for the community, it's important that local law enforcement is not an arm of ice. He did not agree. He did not commit doing that. He heard us out, but there was no intention of ending that collaboration. And so for us, one, we want to inform the public about what's happening. For many people in Alexandria, we recently participated in a local march to commemorate the legacy of Representative John Lewis. We had an opportunity to talk to community members, many of them who were there, they know him personally and they've supported him in the past about this collaboration that he has with ice. And for many of them, this was new. This was surprising that it was happening in Alexandria in a city like Alexandria that I think has been welcoming to immigrants for the most part. There's still some challenges, of course, but first it's an education phase right now to let people know what is the actual collaboration that is happening with the sheriff and ice. We are going to be having a series of community meetings inviting people to learn more, but also ask questions, and we'll be engaging some people in local government to see where they're at, what their take is on this, even though it's not up to them solely to end this practice. I think as representatives of the community, they should have an opinion on what's happening and should use their positions of power to speak out against it. Ultimately, it's the sheriff who has the power to end it, and we're just informing the community of what they can do to ask questions of him directly as a whole. I think if people were put that question, you want your sheriff to be a nice agent in Alexandria, I think most people would say no.

[Andrea Pitzer]

Oliver mentioned that one key way that ICE collaborates with local law enforcement is through a program called 287, which expands the local role in carrying out ICE's agenda. He said that collaboration had previously been in place there before local efforts successfully pushed to end it. And with it gone, ICE would no longer use the local jail to detain people directly. And the sheriff agreed to decrease the number of hours he would hold anyone on their behalf. But that didn't end the collaboration entirely. So they're working to end the ways they see the sheriff now, unofficially collaborating. In the meantime, Oliver explained, in other parts of the country, formal partnerships with ICE have been expanding.

[Oliver Merino]

There's been an increase in this program across the country in states like Florida, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, where states are mandating local law enforcement to participate. There was an announcement by the governor in Virginia. I think we're still yet to see how that will play out. But essentially encouraging local law enforcement to participate in the program.

[Andrea Pitzer]

Here in Virginia, there's talk of a new ICE detention facility in Richmond. And the new budget funding federally will exponentially expand the resources that ICE has available to it.

[Oliver Merino]

I think sometimes it can be overwhelming to think I'm fighting against the state government, law enforcement agency, the federal government, and the administration that does not care for people's constitutional rights. Locally, there's a lot people can do. There are several groups in Virginia who are fighting against the tension expansion that have been fighting to shut down the detention centers that are currently in Virginia. One of the great things that I think we've seen is community members stepping up and joining ICE Watch, figuring out how to do ICE verification. In places where there's not a local group, people have created their own. If there's like any sighting of ice, creating their own, like chats or hotlines where somebody can report an ICE sighting, this is all volunteers. They can go and see if that is true. In this moment, where there's a lot of concern and fear, people, maybe not maliciously, but they report an ICE sighting where it's not necessarily happening. And it's important for someone in the community that is a U.S. citizen that has more of a secure immigration status to go and check it out, that's one thing. Also, we've seen volunteers joining someone that is going to an immigration court. So either sharing know your rights information for people that are going there, or even just sometimes just bearing witness about some of these arrests that are happening and letting people know like this is happening in your own city, in your own state. Oftentimes, I think ISIS does not want this footage to be public, does not want people to know that these services are happening. They want the numbers they want to show. But there's a reason why they're wearing masks. There's a reason why oftentimes these raids are happening early morning or late at night in secrecy. Having community members documenting what's happening, it's important.

[Andrea Pitzer]

Another thing Oliver mentioned is that we often underestimate the power or pressure that we can exert pretty easily at the local level.

[Unnamed Speaker]

We are now seeing dozens of groups across the country working on the ground, online, in their own communities, to fight what they say is unnecessary action by ICE and by Border Patrol.

[Andrea Pitzer]

If there's any type of collaboration between the law enforcement in your city and your sheriff and your city council, you might see these people around at the grocery store, at the farmer's market. You may have more of a direct influence on them than you would on your member of Congress or your senators.

[Oliver Merino]

We still think it's important for people to step up and support in whatever ways they feel is necessary.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Are you all worried about being targeted by the administration or by officials?

[Oliver Merino]

We know our rights. We still have a constitution, and we're going to continue exercising our rights.

[Andrea Pitzer]

If you're fortunate enough to have no collaboration at all at a local level in your local community, you can still organize to invest in providing legal representation for immigrants.

[Oliver Merino]

Two of our clients were deceived and coerced into voluntary departure, which is expulsion from the country.

[Andrea Pitzer]

With detention expanding, so many people will be going before an immigration judge without a lawyer. Meanwhile, having a lawyer improves your chances for a fair outcome and for staying with your family and in your community. The organization where Oliver works, the Immigrant Legal Resource center, has worked with communities to push for that kind of representation.

[Oliver Merino]

When we're taking on a powerful agency like Border Patrol, lawyers cannot do this work alone.

[Unnamed Speaker]

This is community work.

[Andrea Pitzer]

You can also reach out to others who are already doing this work. The more folks that we have in our community, aware of what their rights are, the better protected we are as a community. And if you don't know what role your local law enforcement plays when it comes to ice, they might be able to shed some light on the current situation for you.

[Oliver Merino]

It was helpful for us, I would say, for me as well, to connect with local groups. Many of them have been doing this work for a while. And so in Alexandria, we were able to connect with folks who have had conversations with the sheriff in the past, not just the current sheriff, but previous sheriffs as well. So that's one way, like figuring out what groups in your city are already doing some this type of work. And sometimes, I would say as an organizer, sometimes kind of showing up is like 60% of the thing being present and going to meetings, not just going to protests.

[Andrea Pitzer]

If you're just getting started trying to figure out what's happening close to home, the government makes the 287 agreements public. And Oliver's group has a map where they track formal agreements with ice. He also mentioned other organizations at the national level with a lot of resources that can help people understand what's happening with immigrant detention and how it will expand. One group he mentioned partnering with is Detention Watch Network. But he noted, there are a lot of resources out there.

[Oliver Merino]

You don't have to start from scratch if there's already a group there. Some of the national resources that are available as well. Second, you can always at least get some official response from your city council. I'm concerned about this. What are you doing to protect my immigrant neighbors? Oftentimes, although maybe now it's less common, your member of Congress would have a town hall, and I've done that before. I've gone to my representative town hall. Not that you would hear the answer that you want. I remember asking, what was their plan? This was in January. What was their plan to protect immigrant communities in Alexandria? Knowing what was coming, I think keeping track of the voting record of your representatives is important because I found that even people that we think are on our side could take their own votes and could say the wrong thing. And it's important for them to hear from you as a constituent. I don't agree with this. This is important to me.

[Andrea Pitzer]

So we talked about how demonstrations are an important first step and a way to find people who care about the same issues.

[Unnamed Speaker]

I personally know people who say, look, I only take my kid to school and I come home. I can't do any of the extracurriculars. I can't be a present parent in the community. I cannot contribute to the community in real time because I'm too afraid. And so when you have those types of people who are going into hiding, the fuerza and the people who are showing the resistance are saying, it's not just about supporting them. It's so that other Americans see that we are vigilant. It's so that other Americans see that we know this is not okay.

[Andrea Pitzer]

We also talked about ways to reach out to people who are already being harmed by offering some material support for them. You can look up local mutual aid groups and food banks to see what the needs are, or check with leaders at local Catholic churches that have Spanish masses.

[Oliver Merino]

But beyond that, a lot of it is showing up and showing up consistently whenever there's, like, a demonstration. I think that is important and that should happen. But also going to planning meetings with local groups when they have an event where it's like, more about learning about what's happening like joining them and volunteering locally to learn more and support.

[Andrea Pitzer]

Before this administration even came in, there were already massive problems with our immigration system. United States While this report comes from kids in custody from January 2023 to just March of this year, the advocates say these problems aren't new. Hundreds of complaints. Five year old telling us how they were separated from a grandparent and held for 72 hours without any family. From real kids served by the Florence Project. An official threatened a 14 year old child with a pistol. He told that child he would shoot unless the child remained silent. Immigrant abuse and detention have been problems in the US for decades.

[Oliver Merino]

In the last two decades, the average daily immigration detention population has risen from less than 7,000 in 1994 to more.

[Andrea Pitzer]

Than 44,000, really going back more than a century at this point.

[Unnamed Speaker]

So on ellis island, about 20% of the immigrants are detained. When they are detained, it's for relatively short periods, just one to two days. When we look to Bongo island, we see that 60% of all immigrants were detained. Chinese immigrants were the group that had the most detentions in relation to their population.

[Andrea Pitzer]

Immigrant communities have been working for a long time to try to protect the vulnerable. But Americans who have secure immigration status are going to have to do more to resolve both. Current short term crisis the new report.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Details dangerous and abusive conditions at three immigration detention centers in Miami, Florida since Trump returned to office. One of the detained people said detention officers made men eat while shackled with their hands behind their backs. Quote, we had to bend over and eat off the chairs with our mouths like dogs. The report also describes how detained immigrants are routinely denied access to legal counsel and critical medical care. Some have been held incommunicado in solitary confinement as an apparent punishment for seeking.

[Andrea Pitzer]

Mental health care and the long term one. I asked Oliver what that might look like.

[Oliver Merino]

Tough question. I've been organizing since 2012, so it's been some time now. I've seen ups and downs, setbacks, losses as well. We don't always win. But throughout this time I've seen when people plug in and define community and they understand the need to support their neighbor and be in solidarity with them and that transformation that happens, that is very helpful for me. And I've seen that over and over again. And oftentimes like those people stay plugged in, they stay like that, something kind of awakens within them. Whether they stay in the movement for many years or in the short term, that is something that they carry with them. It's a very tough time, a very Dark time in this country. But I'm also encouraged and hopeful that a lot of people are taking action in whatever way that they can. Whether that is like going to a demonstration or plugging in locally, even just having these conversations with their friends, sometimes it's supporting materially. All the pieces count. I think all those things are important. There's not just just one thing. And doing this work at the federal level can be very depressing just because of what's ahead. But I think locally, it's where I get a lot of my encouragement and a lot of my hope. I really wish that people that are really taking action continue to do so, and people that are just finding out about what's happening, that they join a group and if there's not one to get their neighbors and to get their friends to create their own group. You don't need an organization to take action. You can do that on your own. That's how I started. I saw how community members were being detained by ICE and deported, and I just ended up going to a demonstration, and then I kept going to another one, and then I went to the meetings and they said, who wants to volunteer for this? Like, well, I'm not doing much. Let me do something. And now it's more than a decade later and I'm still doing this and bringing more people along. That, to me, is encouraging.

[Andrea Pitzer]

It was great that Oliver gave so much of his time to help explain all this to people. And I'd like to point out a couple things. First, there was a whole laundry list of things that you can do in this episode. I'm going to run back through it now. You can find out if law enforcement in your community has a 287 partnership. If so, you can work to end it. If it doesn't, you can reach out to local aid groups or lawyers representing immigrants to find out whether law enforcement is cooperating, even in the absence of a formal agreement. You can contact your elected officials locally and local leaders and let them know what's happening and what effects it's having and pressure them to reduce ICE's footprint in your town. You can demonstrate. You can attend local city council or town council meetings and work on which elected officials are representing you and what they're saying, and let them know what matters to you. You can help with mutual aid via food banks and other outreach. You can volunteer as an observer or use your time or money to help make sure immigrants who are detained get legal representation. The second thing I'd like to point out is that Oliver shared a lot of information in a more organized way than you usually see on this podcast. But there is no magic secret knowledge that he has that makes it possible for him to, and no one else to make a difference. He went to some public demonstrations and rallies, he started showing up for meetings and he simply became more plugged in and more aware of what work needed to be done, connected with others who wanted to help, and he began doing that work. He has knowledge that most of us don't because of the experience he has, but the main thing that distinguishes him is is that he is doing the work and we can be doing it too. What are you waiting for? And that's it. Thanks for listening to Next Comes what?

[Oliver Merino]

Please share this with anyone who's looking.

[Unnamed Speaker]

For ways to help each other survive this mess.

[Oliver Merino]

To support this podcast, Please [e-mail] and.

[Andrea Pitzer]

Consider giving Next Comes what?

[Unnamed Speaker]

A five star review where you get your podcasts.

[Andrea Pitzer]

Thank you for listening and thank you for watching. If you do have the means, I encourage you to become a paid subscriber and you can do [e-mail] and just go to the newsletter link which is in the first paragraph of the home page and you can sign up from there.