Don’t Build It.

Don’t Fill It.

Don’t Fuel It.

Block it!

A Mini Toolkit to Take Action to Disrupt the ICE Kidnapping, Detention, and Deportation Machine

The administration passed a $45 BILLION budget in 2025 to build the largest detention and deportation machine in U.S. history.

They have already moved to hire over 10,000 thousand ICE agents and build 45 new detention facilities, increasing official detention capacity to 60,000, and have issued requests for proposals for millions of dollars to expand and extend the wall on the U.S. Mexico border.

BUT they can't do it without our money, labor, transportation infrastructure, permits, approvals, technology, data, collaboration, and complicity!

This toolkit is an invitation to join efforts already in motion in your community and across the country to protect our families, neighbors, and community members and make sure that the administration is not able to continue kidnapping our families and neighbors from our streets, workplaces, health care facilities, and schools and to build the biggest detention and deportation machine in U.S. history — or to start your own, or take action wherever and however you can! It will be regularly updated, so check back often for new resources, ideas, and opportunities for action!

Feel free to use this beautiful “Block It!” graphic created by movement artist and migrant justice organizer Monica Trinidad to invite people into action!

You can use this graphic to:

Print & Display

Print 11x17” posters and put them up them throughout your community! (You can also purchase an art print in our shop.)

Share on Social Media

Use this graphic on social media as part of a deck highlighting your work!

Customize

Fill in this graphic or poster with your own call to action!

Don’t Build It!

TAKE ACTION to stop, interrupt, slow down, or otherwise interfere with building new detention facilities or capacity, reactivating old facilities, or repurposing jails and prisons for ICE detention, using tactics such as:

  • Organizing against and boycotting contractors and companies building and servicing ICE facilities

  • Organizing around land use and building permits for ICE facilities

  • Organizing elected officials to conduct inspections of ICE facilities (including temporary detention facilities) and shut them down if they are in violation of local codes or occupancy conditions

  • Protesting and disrupting functions at ICE facilities

  • Organizing and protesting against the repurposing of government and private spaces/buildings to turn them into detention prisons

For example:

  • Join Detention Watch Network's Communities Not Cages campaign blocking the expansion of ICE detention centers nationwide!

    • Learn more about the campaign with this explainer

    • Check out the campaign toolkit and download campaign art:

  • Join a local campaign to shut down facilities / stop the conversion of military and prison facilities into ICE detention centers!

    • Are you nearby one of these facilities? Want to learn more about local organizing and join a local campaign? Email program@detentionwatchnetwork.org, and Detention Watch Network will connect you to local campaigns leading shut down efforts.

    • Check out Detention Watch Network’s ICE Immigration Detention Expansion Map below to see if there is a facility near you, and join a local campaign!

Here are just a few campaigns for inspiration!

Don’t Fill It!

TAKE ACTION to interrupt ICE’s ability to abduct people into the detention deportation machine, including:

  • ICE and CBP counter recruitment

  • Protesting and boycotting transportation infrastructure

  • ICE Watch/Migra Patrol

  • Court accompaniment

  • Recruiting businesses to support migrant community members

For example:

Protest and resist ICE recruitment efforts at your school and community!

Block 287(g) agreements and collaboration between sheriffs and ICE that increase the detention and deportation force by deputizing local law enforcement to do ICE’s dirty work!

Monitor, document, and call attention to federal, state, and local police informal cooperation with ICE through PolICE watch efforts!

Block any measures that delegate power to private bounty hunters to track and kidnap community members!

Find out where and how ICE is transporting people abducted from our community! For example:

  • La Resistencia (Washington State): Documents and tracks ICE deportation flights out of King County Airport

  • Burlington Airport (Vermont): Monitoring deportation flights, rapid response to prevent deportation at airports, and protesting Burlington Airport and Airport Commission

  • Project Keep Away (California): Preventing prison to immigration detention transfers

  • #BoycottAvelo by Defend & Recruit: Stopping Avelo Airlines from contracting with ICE

  • Target rental companies renting vehicles to ICE, let them know it’s a violation of their contract terms

  • Find ways to organize with transportation workers and unions, from bus drivers to flight attendants, to refuse to participate in transporting ICE detainees

Document, interrupt, and offer resources for people targeted by abductions! Check out these Defend & Recruit toolkits!

Create a sanctuary campus or school

Organize local businesses to create sanctuary and conduct KYR/informational sessions

Block ICE from entering farms by putting up fences, gates, and blocking road access (United Farm Workers)

Participate in courtwatch and court accompaniment

Help people stay out of ICE’s sights!

Support those impacted by the immigration system by contributing to assistance and defense funds: 

Represent immigrants in removal proceedings, or support groups that are funding and offering such support (Carolina Migrant Network)

Support people targeted by the detention and deportation machine!

Don’t Fuel It!

TAKE ACTION to interrupt the flow of money, data, and technology that fuels the detention & deportation machine, including by:

  • Contacting your representative to demand NO more money for ICE!

  • Demanding that your city and state immediately stop sharing data (including DMV data, license-plate reader data, and other information) with federal enforcement

  • Demanding that your city and state immediately stop contracting with any company collaborating or contracting with ICE

  • Boycotting corporations that are fueling the ICE detention/deportation machine!

  • Working with city government officials to ensure local businesses and landlords aren't leasing spaces or contracting with ICE. This includes ensuring local economies aren't dependent upon ICE detention facilities and that economic investment is made into projects that center needs of community members.

For example:

  • #NoTechForICE: Students organizing against ICE-allied tech companies' campus recruitment efforts

  • Purge Palantir: Disrupting Palantir operations and pushing for public divestment from Palantir

  • Just Futures Law: Opposing Clearview AI's facial recognition technology

  • Local Progress: Organizing local elected officials against the use of AI technologies and data sharing with ICE

  • Opposing license-plate readers and other surveillance technology being used to kidnap our neighbors!

    • The Plate Privacy Project: Opposing local government contracting with Flock Safety for the use of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs).

    • DeFlock: Reporting and tracking ALPRs on open-source mapping 

    • Pressuring local government to stop flock surveillance

Whichever lane you pick, whichever tactic you choose,

NOW IS THE

TIME TO ACT

to BLOCK the administration from building, filling, and fueling its detention and deportation machine!

DON'T BUILD IT!

DON'T FILL IT!

DON'T FUEL IT!

DON'T BUILD IT! DON'T FILL IT! DON'T FUEL IT!