Written by: Chris, DA Portugal

In my first essay, I shared my experiences dealing with close family members who voted for and still support Trump’s lawless actions. I also researched the different possible reasons for their regrettable choice. At the end of the essay, I began to address the violent practices of ICE agents, the creation of internment centers across the country, Alligator Alcatraz, and the eerie similarities to the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII.

I went on to voice my prediction that although today’s ICE raids are currently focused on Latino Americans, the focus will likely start to include Asian immigrants and Asian Americans. For Asian American Democrats living abroad, the question arises - Can we do anything to protect our family members and members of our Asian American community back home?

The answer is Yes - Knowledge serves as protection. I have a young adult son attending college on the other side of the United States. I also have an 87-year-old mother and a brother (who loves tattoos which puts him in the high-risk category) who both live in cities on the East Coast. I fear for all of them, every day. According to a “People’s World” article dated June 12, 2025, Filipino Americans have already been swept up in ICE raids in Latino communities. 

How can we warn and protect family members who could be at risk in the coming weeks or months? Here are some recommendations that I have put together on how we can do just that.

First, family members can only protect themselves from ICE raids if they are aware of them. We all have family members who believe that the less they see, the safer they are from such atrocities. That’s like saying, “If I don’t see a house on fire on the news, it won’t happen to my house.” There are many credible news articles outlining the facts of ICE raids in every state in our country almost every day. Send these family members a news article or share Instagram posts of documented ICE kidnappings from their state. Show them the evidence of what is going on.

Second, gather resources. There are two apps that can be legally downloaded to monitor ICE activity in any location: ICEBlock and DEICER apps are currently available and work effectively. Your family members need to have several resources to contact quickly in order to advocate for themselves, or for another family member, or a community member in the case of ICE abduction and detention. Many communities have started coalitions that defend the community against ICE activity. Rhode Island has a very active anti-ICE community group. Learn the phone numbers of the anti-ICE group in your family’s community. Immediate action is CRITICAL to identifying where your family member is being detained or interred and it is critical to the release of your family member in as short an amount of time as possible. Remember, some immigrants who were detained spent five or more months in an internment camp before being released. There are five prominent organizations helping Asian American immigrants who are dealing with detainment:

1. Asian Americans Advancing Justice, AAAJ (1-888-API-VOTE)
   They advocate for the civil and human rights of those detained and fair and equitable policies affecting ICE detainees.
2. The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, AALDEF ( 1-800-966-5946)
   Combines litigation, advocacy and protection of the civil rights of Asian Americans, including immigrant rights. 
3. Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, CHIRLA (888-624-4752)
   Although based in Los Angeles, CHIRLA’s work extends beyond the state's borders, advocating for immigrant rights throughout the nation.
4. The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU (aclu.org)
   Defends the constitutional rights and liberties of persons within the United States, including protecting the rights of non-citizens, particularly immigrants, and ensuring fair treatment for all individuals within the country's borders. All 50 states have a local affiliate or chapter. Write down your local chapter’s number.
5. Specifically for Court Hearings: University of Southern California, Agents of Change (888-462-5211)
   This group will help immigrants file the motion to transform their in-person court appointments into a Zoom meeting so that they can stay safely at home. This number has staff who speak both English and Spanish.

Insist that family members share these phone numbers within the  family and with family friends. Advocacy by major organizations is essential for support and assistance in locating and releasing your loved one from ICE detainment. 

If your loved one is detained:

• Call your local TV news station to do an interview! The more news coverage of your family member’s detainment, the higher their chances are of a fast release. This is also critical to gain community awareness and support.
• Select a family immigration attorney in your town who is familiar with ICE policies. Call their office. Ask if that office is willing to represent your family should one or more of you be detained by ICE. Ask them what the step-by-step procedure is to contact them if this emergency arises. Keep the phone number written down in your wallets. A phone may be confiscated.
• For Asian American U.S. citizens: (Yes, ICE is now detaining citizens and there have even been instances of expulsion from the country) Here is just a small sample size:
  • Identified only as VML, this is a 2-year-old American citizen who was deported to Honduras with her mother in April 2025. VML, referred to by her initials in court documents to protect her privacy, was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 2023.
  • Cary López Alvarado, U.S. citizen Cary López Alvarado was arrested by ICE agents alongside two undocumented immigrants, one of which was her partner, on June 8, 2025. The DHS said that Alvarado was arrested for blocking access to a car containing the undocumented immigrants;
  • Bachir Atallah, U.S. citizen and Trump supporter Bachir Atallah was detained by the Trump administration in April 2025 for immigration investigations.
  • Ras Baraka, the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey was captured and detained by ICE on May 9th by (ICE) agents outside of the Delaney Hall ICE facility
  • Brad Lander, the New York City Comptroller and a U.S. citizen, was captured captured and detained by ICE on June 17, 2025.   

The same instructions regarding a family attorney applies; EXCEPT yours should be a Civil Rights attorney in your town. As an American citizen, Civil Rights promised in the Constitution are being violated by being detained without cause or without access to due process. Again, call the attorney’s office in advance to know and understand the steps to take in case of abduction by ICE agents. Also write down the phone numbers to both of your U.S. Senators’ offices and your district’s U.S. Representative’s office. You will call them for help AFTER you contact your attorney, the Asian American advocacy groups, the ACLU and the local news TV station. It takes a whole community to release your loved one and time is of the essence. Make every effort.

ALL Asian Americans should carry PAPER copies of the following in their wallets and photos in their phone AT ALL TIMES:

1. U.S. Passport or Green Card (Do NOT show them ANY documentation of origins OUTSIDE of the U.S. and do NOT volunteer this information!)
2. “Know Your Rights” cards from the CHIRLA or ACLU Websites to read off when detained
3. Phone number of your Immigration or Civil RIghts Attorney
4. Your community’s anti-ICE coalition’s hotline number.

Practice, Practice Practice! Just like a fire drill, your family needs to know the steps to take in case a family member is abducted by ICE. Write down your family’s emergency plan and post it on the fridge for older family members to follow. CHIRLA is just one source for a “Know Your Rights” card in both Spanish and English. A printable version is available at:  https://www.lynwoodca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1633/Prepare-to-Stay-New-Logo?bidId=

The most important instructions: Stay calm! / Politely but persistently ask to call and wait for your attorney/ Say NOTHING/ Sign NOTHING

As an Asian American and Democrats living abroad, it is very hard to watch all of these violent ICE raids and to worry about family members so far away. I live in fear and check news websites in my family’s locations every day. My advice: stay in close contact with family members living in the U.S.; constantly monitor ICE policies and shifts in ICE activity. These steps will be important to protect and warn our family members and friends back home.