How Rapid Response Networks Protect Immigrant Communities and Build Trust in South Jersey

When someone reports possible ICE activity in our community, not everyone runs. In the Rapid Response network, we verify first. Trained volunteers go to the location, observe, ask questions, and confirm. If it is not ICE, we communicate that quickly to prevent panic. If it is, we activate the network: we alert people nearby, offer accompaniment, and do everything we can so no one faces that moment alone. This is not about confrontation. It is about protection, information, and presence.

This work would not be possible without something essential: the trust of the community.

My work with CATA – The Farmworker Support Committee in South Jersey has allowed me to see firsthand the challenges immigrant workers and their families face. One of the biggest today is fear. A fear that often does not come from what is actually happening, but from what is shared on social media. We have seen posts warning of supposed ICE activity without confirmation, images from other states circulating as if they were local, or confusion between ICE and local police. Even when shared with good intentions, misinformation can create panic and impact the entire community.

There are also workers, especially those in employment agencies, who do not fully know their rights if ICE arrives at their workplace. That lack of information increases anxiety. Even small businesses have felt the effects. For a time, many customers stopped going out because of fear.

That is why community organizing is so important. The Rapid Response network we have built alongside organizations like Los Tequios de Cumberland and Cosecha Bridgeton is a way for us to take care of one another. This is our tequio, our collective work for the community. Everyone is welcome, regardless of experience.

This work has also shown us something powerful: solidarity. The community itself has given us important feedback. For example, many people have expressed concern when they see someone chasing officers, because that can escalate situations and put responders at risk. That is why, in Los Tequios, training is essential. Our approach is clear: reduce panic, do not escalate conflict, and ensure that people know they are not alone.

I want to be clear about something. Undocumented people have always been the ones driving this struggle. Today, for safety reasons, many cannot participate in the same ways. But that does not mean they do not have a voice. We are not their voice, because they do not lack one. We are a speaker with feet, helping amplify their voices in the spaces where they need to be heard. And when they are ready, we pass them the microphone. Because there is no voice more powerful in this movement than theirs.

If you want to support this work, there are many ways to get involved: follow organizations like Los Tequios de Cumberland County, participate in trainings, donate to CATA, and support local small businesses.

Because at the end of the day, this is about community. About caring for one another, staying informed, and remembering that no one is alone.