Whistles are being distributed across Tucson as warning signals to the community for when Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids are about to happen. It's part of a grassroots effort spreading to cities nationwide.
Organizations like Catalina United Methodist Church in the Arizona city have been passing these whistles throughout the community. The whistles act as a warning system — when ICE agents are in the area, and people hear the piercing sound, the church hopes it will keep the community prepared.
Pastor Kelli Knight says the whistles were brought in by community members who wanted to keep the public aware of ICE's presence. The whistle has a piercing sound that Knight says serves as a signal for undocumented people that ICE is nearby.
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The warning system is being used in other cities as well, notably in Chicago.
ICE has been conducting raids in cities across the country. Officials for the agency say it's primarily focused on immigrants who have entered the country illegally. They are conducting these raids in an effort to deport said undocumented citizens.
However, Knight says these raids are targeting vulnerable communities, and adds these whistles promote safety in her church, which is why she's passing them out.
"When people hear the whistle, it's an alert both to people who may need to know that information because of their documentation status, or even simply, we know now that ICE has been given license to target even U.S. citizens," Knight said. "And so whoever needs safety in that moment, they're able to access that. And then also, it's also a space for people who may have privilege, like myself, to step into that space to provide safety for our neighbors."
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Scripps News has reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for a response and is awaiting comment.
This article was written by JJ McKiney for the Scripps News Group in Tucson.
