Immigrant communities across Southern California, including Korean Americans, have formed coordinated networks to reduce the impact of ongoing ICE immigration raids, more than six months after intensified enforcement began. Residents are sharing real-time alerts through messaging apps and volunteer patrols across multiple neighborhoods.
At the LA Fashion District’s Java Market, Jin Lee (42) uses a large KakaoTalk group chat—operating since June—as a primary source of ICE field-enforcement updates. “People immediately report what is happening inside or near shops,” he said. “The room used to be for job and daily-life information, but now enforcement alerts take up a bigger share. We invite only verified people to protect information.”
About 40 shop owners in the Java Market also run a WhatsApp group that has operated for six months to maintain a shared response system. A Korean American owner identified as Mr. Park said, “Even undocumented employees with no criminal history hesitate to come to work, so we needed a way to track attendance and know what’s happening.”
According to LA Public Press, immigration authorities have been using unmarked vehicles during operations, prompting immigrant advocacy organizations and volunteers to build local monitoring teams. Wearing matching shirts, volunteers track possible ICE agent movements around East LA, South LA, Bell, Pasadena, and nearby business districts…