Lali Cuevas, of East Chicago, organized a response team in Lake County after seeing a baker dragged away by immigration authorities last fall. On Sunday, she brought her message to Valparaiso.

So many people showed up for the training session at the Valparaiso Public Library that some were turned away. The room was already at capacity at 85 participants.

NWI Activists organizer Lisa Nicole said people were messaging her on the way to the training session, saying they wanted to help, too.

“We’re a protective presence and a resource network,” Cuevas said. “We’re dedicated to protecting and supporting our community.”

“We’ve been hoping to create a rapid response more local to Valpo,” said Leanne Blind, an NWI Activists organizer. “They have a really amazing template and resources.”

Blind, a meteorologist, got involved in activist protests in response to Trump administration funding cuts for science programs. Since then, “human rights have really become important to me,” she said.

Retired Valparaiso University law professor Sy Moskowitz sees echoes of what happened to his family during World War II. “Much of my family was killed by the Nazis and fascists in Europe,” he said. Now he’s seeing the growth of authoritarianism and fascism in the United States.

“We have masked, armed agents, surprise-arresting people,” Cuevas said.

Sunday’s program and its “know your rights” emphasis impressed Moskowitz. “These people are well organized, well informed, and doing amazing work in Lake County.”

Cuevas warns people keeping their eyes on Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts to be careful, especially after a number of incidents involving ICE agents killing, harming and intimidating observers.

“We really do feel accountability is paramount,” she said.

She’s not alone. A Pew Research Center survey conducted Jan. 20-26 found 74% of Americans say it is acceptable for ordinary people to record video of immigration officers while they make arrests, and 59% are OK with sharing information about where arrests are happening.

“We all know the Constitution guarantees rights for all people in the United States regardless of immigration status,” Cuevas said, but those rights are often ignored by ICE and other federal agencies involved with arresting immigrants and citizens.

Her group is emphasizing a “know your rights” campaign.

The U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment guarantees the right to free speech and peaceable assembly, both of which pertain to protesters and observers. The Fourth Amendment requires warrants be supported by probable cause and be specific about the search process.

“We have found that 9.5 out of 10 do not have a warrant” for a criminal arrest, Cuevas said.

One of the participants Sunday offered advice about the warrants. “It has to say your exact legal name, and it has to say your exact address, and it has to say the exact time,” the participant said. That means it should say your legal name, Mary A. Smith, not Mary Smith.

“It is never, ever, ever, ever, to be on the phone,” either. It has to be signed by a judge and indicate the court over which the judge presides.

It also has to give a time range, for example, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Beyond that, they can’t legally enter the house. That doesn’t necessarily stop them, though.

“You have a right to film or photograph ICE,” Cuevas said. Law enforcement can’t legally confiscate or demand to view your digital photos or video without a warrant, but that doesn’t necessarily stop them. Just in case, remove facial recognition and fingerprints to unlock your device and require a six-digit PIN every time, she advised.

“They don’t like our presence. I can tell you that,” Cuevas said. “I tell you what, they anger me. When I see them, they really anger me.”

“Being committed to the resistance requires commitment. I’ve been working tirelessly since Nov. 5, literally every day on this,” she said.

“You live on your phone” to help others, using an encrypted chat.

“We all monitor, we all have eyes on ICE every day on our way to work, on our way to the grocery store, all the time,” Cuevas said.

If you see an ICE raid, she said, “I would hope you would stop” and help, or at least document and support the family. If you do stop, pull to the side of the road and stop in a safe place, she said.

Knowing your rights is important. “We want all of you to feel ready and empowered,” Cuevas said.

People interested in joining the resistance movement might or might not be accepted. “Not just anybody can join us,” she said. There’s a screening process involved. “We don’t want someone infiltrating our team that could possibly ruin us.”

At Sunday’s meeting, a “Melt the ICE” bucket was available for donations, and the group was selling T-shirts to raise money, too, for flyers, door hangers and other resources.

Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/02/crowd-shows-up-for-ice-response-training-in-valparaiso/