ICE Watch is a coalition of decentralized rapid-response groups in Minneapolis that monitors the presence and actions of ICE in neighborhoods.

Defend 612 is the main coordinating organization. “We protect each other in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities, and across Minnesota by being present on our streets, in our neighborhoods, on our blocks – in our city which is our home. Our vision is a connected community working together to be safe from abductions and state terror. there are over 80,000 of our Minneapolis neighbors involved in Rapid Response groups and support networks across the entire city.”

The resistance relies on neighborhood-level coordination linked through encrypted messaging apps like Signal. When suspected ICE activity is reported, nearby volunteers converge within minutes. They bear witness, document on video, identify detainees, and alert families and legal networks.

Mother Jones in a January 21 article quotes participants: “What we’ve noticed in Minneapolis is that having people outside, having people ready to respond, having people connected and communicating about ICE activity has kept so many people safe—more than we’ll ever know, more than we’ll ever be able to track.”

​Also, “There’s this amazing group of people—I have no idea who they are—who are tracking all the [ICE] license plates. There’s this amazing group of people who are making maps about where people are being taken. There are school patrols, block patrols, neighborhood patrols, multi-neighborhood patrols.”