In Houston, Texas, a city where the Latino community represents almost half of the population, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids have become part of the daily routine.
Faced with fear and uncertainty, two naturalized Mexican citizens, Martina Grifaldo (62) and Francisco Mendoza (57), have decided to take action: every day they patrol the streets and broadcast live to alert the community about possible immigration operations.
Early morning patrols
Martina starts her Facebook transmissions with a greeting:
“Good morning, warriors. Take good care of yourselves and may you all return home safely.”
Accompanied by Francisco, she walks through Latino neighborhoods starting at 5:00 a.m., documenting any suspicious movement of immigration agents.
The page they manage, with more than 170,000 followers, has become a vital information channel for thousands of families.
“We start the day by asking how the roads are, because many times that’s where the ICE checkpoints appear,” explains Martina, director of the NGO Alianza Latina Internacional.
In each transmission, the community actively participates, sending messages, photos and videos that allow the identification of raids and risk points in real time.
The “ice” that chases migrants
May everyone return home safely
Martina Grifaldo
In their publications, Martina and Francisco often use the symbol of an ice cube next to a policeman, alluding to the ICE acronym, which in English means “ice”.
With this language, they ask people to report the locations of immigration agents.
Francisco says that many times the supposed agents do not wear uniforms or show arrest warrants during the raids:
“They arrive in vans, masked and wearing tactical vests, as if they were military. People are terrified.
Although ICE has denied the use of bounty hunters, in practice, allegations of abuse continue to grow.
Stories of resistance
Live broadcasts not only generate information, they also create community.
At a fast food restaurant, a group of Salvadoran women workers offer them food as a thank you.
One of them, Elizabeth, a 35-year-old mother, confesses to them:
“They take the risk for us. If they stop me, my sick mother and my son would be left helpless.”
Francisco reminds us that, despite the narrative that criminalizes the undocumented, they contribute significantly to the country:
“We pay federal and state taxes, but receive no benefits in return.”
According to the American Immigration Council, in 2023 undocumented immigrants contributed nearly $90 billion in U.S. taxes.
After hours of patrolling, Martina posts her last message:
“Good night, warriors. Tomorrow we will continue to resist.”
For her and Francisco, the mission is clear:
To give voice, accompany and protect migrants in the face of a policy of raids that continues to hit the Latino community in 2025.
For more information, visit QuéOnnda.com.
