DHS Challenges Activists’ Efforts to Warn Undocumented Immigrants
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has made it clear that they are not impressed with a recent initiative by activists in Los Angeles aimed at alerting undocumented immigrants about the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
While it’s common for anti-ICE activists to use whistles to help undocumented individuals escape federal agents, Amanda Alcalde’s approach is to set up warning sirens in the Highland Park area.
Alcalde admitted that this plan hasn’t received city approval and that the sirens will be placed on private properties and businesses.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin mocked the siren initiative in a written response to Blaze News. She stated, “This is literally insane. Highland Park residents want to buy air raid sirens—the same kind used in London during air raids—to warn the community about ICE. It seems like a public nuisance!”
McLaughlin went further to highlight “some of the criminals that Highland Park residents are trying to protect by evading arrests.”
One name mentioned was Carlos Danilo Barrera, a gang member from the Florencia 13 group who was convicted of second-degree murder in Los Angeles, according to DHS. Other notable examples included:
- Diego Cardona, an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, who was convicted of voluntary manslaughter.
- Sergio Salvador Salazar Sorto, also undocumented, who faced charges of false imprisonment and assault.
- Ehsan Jalal, a 52-year-old Afghan national, who has a conviction for robbery.
In an interview with KTLA-TV, Alcalde expressed her concern that ICE operations have led to a noticeable decline in “ethnic” representation in Los Angeles. “I’ve seen a lot of fear in people’s eyes. We don’t see a lot of ethnic minorities on a daily basis. It feels like a big change, sort of like a dystopia,” she commented.
According to reports from Reuters, the Trump administration has increased arrests and detentions of activists who obstruct federal enforcement actions.
