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Grassroots organizations around the United States, with little to no support from local authorities, have spent much of the past year defending themselves against President Donald Trump’s deployments of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and the National Guard. While community defense efforts in large urban metropolises such as Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Portland have attracted the most media coverage, anti-ICE activity is also thriving in Republican-controlled states like Texas and North Carolina.

Many grassroots groups in conservative-leaning states are documenting their own work on Instagram, using social media accounts as hubs to update local communities on ICE activity, recruit volunteers, and announce trainings. They may face a more challenging terrain than those organizing in Democratic-controlled states, given the active collaboration of law enforcement agencies with ICE.

While red state anti-ICE organizing may be less likely to feature whistles, bullhorns, and other confrontational tactics seen in cities like Chicago and Los Angeles, common themes are emerging, consistent with organizing in liberal cities. The anti-ICE playbook in red states involves creating a hotline for residents to report ICE activity, “Know Your Rights” sessions that give people legal advice on what information they should withhold when confronted by ICE, and ICE-watch trainings for observers documenting arrests. Many groups are also ensuring that the families of those arrested and detained have legal and financial support.

The anti-ICE playbook in red states involves creating a hotline for residents to report ICE activity, “Know Your Rights” sessions, and ICE-watch trainings.

This non-comprehensive roundup of anti-ICE activities is an indication of how widespread resistance to fascism became in 2025.

North Carolina

In North Carolina cities such as Raleigh and Charlotte, a grassroots organization called Siembra NC is leading efforts to protect community members from ICE. Siembra NC was founded in 2017 in direct response to the first Trump administration and offers a hotline for residents reporting ICE arrests, as well as abusive employers and landlords. If ICE agents attempt to enter people’s home or car, Siembra NC advises locking the door and starting a livestream on social media to document the interaction.

In an Instagram post in mid-November, Siembra NC also documented its members showing up outside grocery stores in Charlotte when ICE agents arrested shoppers. Volunteers who were trained as part of Siembra NC’s........

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