After ICE Raids Surge, Immigrant Communities Live in Fear as Allies Mobilize in the Midwest

Immigrant communities in the Midwest are living in the shadow of fear as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ramps up arrests, with states like Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas seeing a more than 30 percent increase since Donald Trump’s second term. Though federal immigration raids have faded from the national headlines, the impact on everyday lives remains urgent and devastating.

Juan, a Guatemalan immigrant and naturalized U.S. citizen in Sioux City, Iowa, speaks quietly about the anxiety gripping his community. Despite being a successful business owner, he fears for his employees who lack legal status. “Many people live with that fear constantly, especially those with families,” he says, choosing to speak in Spanish to avoid detection.

This fear is no accident. Data from the Deportation Data Project reveal that more than 1,500 immigrants were arrested in Iowa last year alone—surpassing the total arrests during the early Biden years combined. Advocates like Elena Casillas-Hoffman of the Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice warn the true numbers are likely higher, obscured by incomplete government reporting.

In response, allies and activists are building grassroots networks to protect vulnerable neighbors. Native American activist Manape LaMere co-founded the Siouxland Guardians, a volunteer group trained in rapid response tactics to document ICE activity and support affected families. “We want to be prepared to receive that family that might come crying,” LaMere says, emphasizing the urgent need for community solidarity.

Further south, Julia Albarracin-Green leads Western Illinois Dreamers, a nonprofit providing legal aid, housing support, and financial assistance to thousands across western Illinois. Recognizing the isolation caused by fear of raids, the group launched anonymous online support meetings focusing on mental health and peer connection—offering a lifeline to those too afraid to leave their homes.

In Oklahoma City, the Immigration Center at Western Oaks Church of the Nazarene continues to offer low-cost legal services and citizenship classes, answering a surge of calls from immigrants desperate for help navigating an increasingly hostile environment.

These efforts reveal a critical truth: while ICE’s aggressive tactics aim to intimidate and dismantle immigrant communities, local resistance is growing stronger. As arrests climb and fear deepens, it is these grassroots networks that stand between families and the harsh consequences of an administration that weaponizes immigration enforcement to sow fear and division.

We will keep tracking these stories because silence in the face of such attacks on human dignity is complicity. Immigrant communities deserve safety, support, and justice—not fear and deportation.