As federal immigration raids sweep across Los Angeles, community defense networks on the Westside are growing stronger, more organized, and more determined. What began as a few volunteers tracking ICE vehicles and responding to calls has evolved into a citywide movement of neighbors watching out for each other—and it’s having an impact.

“They’re catching on to how we are tracking them,” said Jasmine Delgado, a lifelong Westside resident and member of the community defense network Westside Rapid Response. “They’re switching plates and switching vehicles. The vehicles with DHS or other signage are becoming less frequent. Now there are vehicles that look personal, some with personal decals.” ICE agents are no longer driving identifiable government cars but have shifted to unmarked vehicles, and are now wearing plain clothes and masks to conceal their identities.

ICE agents are not just operating in secrecy, but are also endangering the public in the process. In an effort to evade community monitors, they’ve begun driving recklessly through residential neighborhoods, running red lights and weaving through traffic without regard for safety. Delgado described a recent encounter: “I was driving down Barrington and I thought for sure they were ICE, just by how they were driving—like not getting caught at red lights,” she said. “You’d have to drive like crazy to keep up, so I had to stop following them.”

This increasingly covert and reckless behavior speaks to the effectiveness of community defense. ICE is being forced to change its tactics because it is being watched. Resistance is working, but that means the work is getting harder. On the ground, the reality of the raids is devastating. “The scene is chaotic and demoralizing,” Delgado said of one raid at a car wash. “ICE kidnapped a father, and his kids were left behind, crying. Multiple children were there.” The trauma lingers long after the agents drive away. “Morale is low at the locations where ICE has just been. People are reeling from what they’ve just seen.”

Earlier this month, major alarms went off on the Westside when stories began circulating about ICE agents kidnapping nannies from public parks, including Douglas Park in Santa Monica. One of the posts came from a local preschool principal, adding credibility to the claim, which spread like wildfire. The rumor hit a nerve with many Westside families, especially those with domestic workers who take their kids to the park.

But when rapid response groups investigated the claims, they found the incidents could not be confirmed. Part of these groups’ strength is to verify information and not just spread panic, so they remain grounded in trust, careful documentation, and direct action. When it became clear that the stories were unfounded, the focus quickly became debunking the panic surrounding the nanny kidnapping story, with media and political leaders emphasizing that it was just a rumor. But in doing so, they sidestepped the larger truth: ICE is already tearing families apart in full view, detaining Black and brown parents in front of their children. Yes, the nanny story was unverified—but the fear it sparked was rooted in reality. “They will take mothers with citizen children and leave the kids behind,” Delgado said. “This is already happening.”

The real lesson that hit home with families across the Westside was not to calm down, but to wake up and get even more engaged. “After the nanny incident, there was a huge surge of concern—especially from moms on Westside Facebook groups,” Delgado observed. “Even though it turned out the story wasn’t confirmed, it touched a nerve. People imagined someone they know being taken in front of their child. That made the crisis feel real for a lot of people and instead of backing off, more people want to get involved.”

While community members are mobilizing rapidly to respond to the crisis, the same can’t be said for political leadership. Elected officials and institutions have been slow, cautious, and ill-equipped to confront the scale of what’s unfolding. As Delgado put it, “We are unprepared for this moment. We leave everything to electoral politics and nonprofits. Our leaders are not prepared to confront this level of authoritarianism and open disregard for the law.” In a city where leadership is flat-footed and law enforcement won’t act, street monitors track unmarked vehicles, neighbors verify reports, mutual aid groups show up to comfort children left behind and help families navigate the fallout. These community networks are our first—and apparently our only—line of defense.