Skill Level: Intermediate
What This Tool Is
This guide teaches you how to safely and legally document federal raids — ICE, Border Patrol, joint “task forces,” or any of the regime’s latest cosplay militias — so the evidence can be used in lawsuits, injunctions, FOIA filings, and public accountability work.
Because the regime counts on fear, confusion, and chaos. Documentation pulls the mask off.
Why It Matters
New Orleans is today’s warning shot. These raids aren’t simply immigration enforcement — they’re political theater designed to intimidate, disappear people into systems with no oversight, and manufacture consent for authoritarian power.
Courts move slowly, but evidence doesn’t expire. Real cases against federal agencies — wrongful detention, racial profiling, constitutional violations — win or lose on documentation.
If you’re able to safely witness and record raids, you become part of the chain of accountability that the regime desperately hopes doesn’t exist.
A Real-World Example
During the 2019–2020 Mississippi and Louisiana ICE raids, community members who documented vehicle numbers, agent names, and unlawful detentions helped lawyers file successful motions that forced ICE to admit misconduct and release detainees.
Today’s “Operation Catahoula Crunch” is running the same playbook — but now the resistance has learned how to play back.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Don’t intervene — witness.
You are not there to argue with agents. You are there to document, which is 10x more dangerous to their operation.
2. Start recording immediately.
Use your phone’s camera or a rapid-record app.
Capture:
- Number of agents
- Agencies involved (ICE, CBP, DHS, state troopers, local PD)
- Vehicle numbers and license plates
- Location, date, and time
- Any force used
- Anyone being questioned without cause
- Minors present
If they tell you to stop recording:
You are allowed to film law enforcement in public spaces.
3. Narrate what you see.
“Three ICE agents. Black unmarked SUV. Corner of ___ and ___. Target appears to be random stop, no warrant shown.”
This context is gold for legal teams.
4. Never film a vulnerable person’s face unless they explicitly consent.
You want to protect them — not put them at further risk.
Film agents, vehicles, and actions instead.
5. Gather witness info.
If people nearby saw what happened:
“Can an attorney contact you? What did you see?”
First names are enough.
Share their info ONLY with verified legal organizations.
6. Upload evidence safely.
Do NOT post raw video on social media.
Instead, send files to:
- NOLA Workers’ Center for Racial Justice (New Orleans raids)
https://nowcrj.org - Immigrant Defenders Law Center
- ACLU Legal Intake
- National Immigration Law Center
These groups preserve metadata and chain-of-custody — crucial for court filings.
7. Create a written incident record.
Include:
- Your perspective
- What you saw
- What you recorded
- Approximate timeline
- Any unconstitutional behavior (racial profiling, no warrant, force used)
8. Back it up in two places.
Thumb drive, encrypted cloud folder, or secure Dropbox.
If your phone is seized or wiped, your evidence lives on.
9. Alert the rapid-response network.
Text or call local hotline:
New Orleans: (504) 233-6960 (NOLA rapid response line)
National: United We Dream MigraWatch (844) 363-1423
10. Take care of yourself.
Witnessing state violence is traumatic. Debrief with trusted people, not the algorithm.
Kitty’s Final Scratch
Trump wants these raids to disappear into the fog. He wants fear — not witnesses.
But you? You turn every unconstitutional stunt into a documented, timestamped, legally actionable receipt.
The regime can run. It can hide. It can bark orders.
But it cannot erase what you record.