New York City’s Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) are mobilising more than 4,000 anti-ICE activists to form so-called “rapid response” battalions aimed at obstructing federal immigration enforcement during an anticipated crackdown on illegal migrants, according to a report.
According to The New York Post report, the plans were outlined at a recent meeting of the DSA’s Immigrant Justice Working Group held at the People’s Forum in Midtown Manhattan.
“As we’ve seen in other cities, we still do anticipate a big wave of federal immigration enforcement,” Marina, a DSA leader, told attendees, per the news outlet.
She added that the group wants to be “on our front foot if and when it does.”
4,000 activists
The NYC DSA chapter plans to train 2,000 DSA members and 2,000 non-members, while activating 50 additional trainers, the report said. It is also expanding staffing of its ICE hotline to operate round-the-clock.
“If you speak Pular, if you speak Creole, if you speak Fulani — come find us,” a leader urged participants, according to the news report.
Fundraising push at meetings
While organisers did not disclose the cost of the operation, donation appeals featured prominently during the nearly two-hour meeting.
One leader reportedly passed around a red beanie to collect cash, described by the Post as a “socialist version of a collection plate.”
Anger fuelled by Minneapolis shooting
Attendees were motivated by the death of Renee Good, a 37-year-old Minneapolis woman fatally shot by an ICE agent earlier this month.
“ICE is a violent organisation and has been emboldened,” a DSA leader said, the report noted.
Good had been part of an anti-ICE group trained to “resist” immigration crackdowns — tactics the NYC chapter now hopes to replicate.
ICE expansion and federal push
ICE has more than doubled its headcount over the past year and is preparing for large-scale operations in major cities, including New York and California, the report said, citing WIRED.
A recent ICE operation arrested illegal migrants convicted of crimes such as forcible rape, aggravated sexual assault of a child and strangulation, according to the agency.
