By Melanie Slone
North County SAFE is a group of community patrol members trained to do what they call “community defense work.”
Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested the parent of a student from Park Dale Lane Elementary in Encinitas next to a designated drop-off school route and in front of a group of children in August 2025. In December of that same year ICE staged a detention center at the Carlsbad Dove Library during hours of operation.
The use of live ammunition, dangerous driving, and excessive use of force in front of families led many community members from cities along the North Coast who previously had no interest in immigration matters to organize against ICE enforcement tactics.
North County SAFE says immigration detentions have increased to such a degree and become so violent that communities can no longer ignore them. The current ICE agents are not being trained regarding the use of weapons or force, and oversight is lacking; the targeting of individuals in open spaces has increased, including racial profiling and the arrest of legal immigrants, say members of North County SAFE.
The group was formally trained with help from Universidad Popular, Alianza Comunitaria, and North County Justice Allies, among other advocacy organizations.
What North County SAFE Does
North County SAFE’s mission is to look for Department of Homeland Services (DHS) and ICE presence, document it, and reach out to their communities and the families of those detained.
Members teach people about what is happening and how to respond, says Vanessa Reed, a teacher and leader with SAFE. She has worked with the schools regarding community defense and patrols.
North County SAFE is available to attend community events such as festivals and works in conjunction with school community liaisons. If ICE sets up near a school, the liaisons let SAFE know so they can show their presence and keep everyone safe, identifying themselves with vests and whistles.
The group has formed hotlines to share live information about ICE sitings and respond immediately at detention points. They also do scheduled patrols in their cities, identify detention “hotspots,” and even do patrols while running errands, such as visiting a grocery or hardware store.
They also post online vehicles of individuals who have been detained, so that family members can claim these vehicles before they are towed.
A partner is Somos TIAS, a Solana Beach-based organization that helps family members of detained immigrants with daily needs and legal assistance, including finding their loved ones and taking next steps.
Expansion Plans
Partnerships with faith-based organizations, the ACLU, the Chicano Federation, Alianza Comunitaria, Somos TIAS, Universidad Popular, and others who have been doing this type of work for decades can bring advocacy groups together with boots-on-the-ground responses and patrols.
North County SAFE hopes to spread to other cities, training citizens to exercise their rights in protecting their neighbors and communities.
Their hope is that immigration enforcement will become more transparent; they remind everyone that it is important to vote as immigration policy is set at the federal level.
