Activists in a progressive Los Angeles neighborhood have taken their campaign against Immigration and Customs Enforcement to new lengths.
Highland Park residents must now be on alert for small but powerful air raid sirens that alert residents when ICE is in the neighborhood.
Signs posted around the neighborhood by the Highland Park Community Support Group announced the purpose of the alarms in both English and Spanish, reported the Los Angeles Times.
‘When alarm goes off, ICE is in the community,’ they read. ‘Get off the streets, take shelter and lock down.’
Amanda Alcade, who started the organization, told KTLA she hopes to discreetly install the sirens at private residences and businesses all over the neighborhood.
‘We’d like to eventually have this all throughout the different streets so that everyone is aware and they can take shelter,’ she said.
About 20 have already been installed so far. The $70 sirens are activated by a mobile app and their wail can be heard up to half a mile away.
But the organization failed to go through the city for approval, and fears of misuse and legal repercussions have already begun to rise.
City Council Candidate Nelson Grande said activists circumvented city approval due to a ‘sense of urgency’
More than a dozen air raid sirens were installed in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told The Daily Mail that the idea was ‘quite literally insane.’
‘The residents of Highland Park want to buy an air raid siren—the same device that was used in London when German planes flew over—to alert the community about ICE. Seems like a public nuisance!’
First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli warned the group they could face jail time for installing the system without approval from the city, reported CBS.
‘I would admonish these anti-government activists that it is a federal crime to harbor or assist in harboring illegal aliens,’ he wrote.
‘They should familiarize themselves with 8 U.S.C. 1324(a), which carries a penalty of up to 5 years in federal prison.’
The LAPD warned that the blaring sirens could result in citations due to noise ordinance violations.
Activist Amanda Alcade said she wants the sirens to be iknstalled on every street in the neighborhood
Signs were posted around the neighborhood in Spanish and English to warn residents
But City Council Candidate Nelson Grande said the activists declined to go through the city because of ‘the sense of urgency.’
‘When the ICE raids are happening now, we don’t have time to go through legislators and to go through that whole process.’
Supporters have said the sirens will protect both immigrants and activists and restore peace to their community.
‘I see a lot of fear in people’s eyes,’ said Alcade.
‘I don’t see a lot of our ethnic minority out and about day to day… it kind of feels dystopian in a way.’
A GoFundMe was started to purchase more sirens for the alert system. It has raised $325 toward its $450 goal.
The sirens can be heard half a mile away and cost $70 each. Approximately 20 are situated throughout Highland Park
Grande told the Times that they’re already seeing support from a wide array of people since it was first implemented in February.
‘We’re seeing a diverse group of people that are reaching out to support,’ he said. ‘There’s no specific person that’s being asked to do this.’
The majority of Highland Park residents are Hispanic, according to Niche. Several raids have been reported in the area since Trump’s immigration crackdown began.
‘Folks are afraid, folks are scared,’ said Grande. ‘We need to come up with more creative ways to keep our community safe.’
The Daily Mail contacted the Highland Park Community Support Group for comment.
