1A ICE And The ICE Watchers
21 snips
Feb 3, 2026 Emilia Gonzalez-Avalos, director of Unidos Minnesota who trains community constitutional observers. Will Stansel, civil rights attorney who has observed ICE operations firsthand. Quinta Jurecic, Atlantic writer who analyzes legal limits around ICE monitoring. They discuss legal boundaries around observing immigration actions, trainings and safety tactics, how prosecutors respond to obstruction claims, and risks from surveillance and doxxing.
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Section 111 Drives Most Prosecutions
- Section 111 is the primary charge used against ICE observers and covers resisting or impeding law enforcement activity.
- Its language is broad and applied across many jurisdictions, producing a wide gamut of cases from clear obstruction to disputed allegations.
Following ICE Vehicles Can Invite Threats
- Will Stansel described following an ICE vehicle and being threatened with arrest for "impeding" despite not physically blocking agents.
- He continued to follow at a lawful distance and the agents ultimately did not arrest him.
Keep Distance; Film From Behind
- Do avoid any physical obstruction: step aside for vehicles and agents and never touch officers.
- Continue filming, making noise, and communicating from behind agents to stay on stronger legal ground.