A grassroots organization in Los Angeles’ Highland Park neighborhood says it plans to install a network of what it calls “ICE raid alarms” in response to ongoing federal immigration enforcement activity, as reported [1] by The New York Post.
The Highland Park Community Support Group, led by Amanda Alcalde, told KTLA that it will place an unspecified number of the alarms along multiple streets in the historically Hispanic neighborhood.
The devices are described as resembling small red spotlights and are designed to emit a loud sound when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are nearby.
‘ICE raid alarms’ are coming soon to historically Hispanic LA neighborhood https://t.co/st7QTiIVY4 [2] pic.twitter.com/OrXKjukPGL [3]
— New York Post Metro (@nypmetro) February 12, 2026 [4]
Alcalde told the outlet the alarms are intended to give residents time to “take shelter” if federal agents are in the area.
“Ultimate goal is to encourage other communities throughout the county and beyond to have their own sirens,” the organization wrote in a recent Instagram post.
According to the group’s social media account, at least one alarm is expected to be installed near a dual-language school in the neighborhood. The full system is projected to be in place by Feb. 23.
Alcalde explained to KTLA that the effort is not city-backed and does not extend across the entire neighborhood.
Instead, organizers are coordinating with selected homeowners and local businesses that agree to allow the devices to be mounted on or near their properties.
In addition to the alarm system, volunteers are distributing ICE alert whistles to residents. Organizers are also encouraging neighbors to notify one another if immigration agents are spotted nearby.
Alcalde said the initiative draws inspiration from activity in Minneapolis.
“Our activism draws on a lot of that influence from Minneapolis and trying to turn it into our own here,” she told KTLA.
During the height of anti-ICE demonstrations in Minneapolis, residents were seen using whistles and shouting warnings in English and Spanish as federal agents conducted operations in certain communities.
“I’ve seen a lot of fear in people’s eyes. I don’t see a lot of our ethnic minorities out in the day-to-day. It’s a big change. It feels dystopian in a way,” Alcalde said.
Highland Park is a majority Hispanic neighborhood, according to Niche.
The alarm initiative comes as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced three new measures related to federal immigration enforcement this week.
One of the directives bars federal immigration officers from using or staying at city-owned facilities.
Across the country, anti-ICE protests have at times escalated to demonstrations outside hotels believed to be housing federal agents.
In Minneapolis, a crowd gathered outside a Hilton Hotel the day after Alex Pretti was shot and killed by two ICE agents. One officer stationed at the hotel entrance was left bloodied, though authorities have not clarified how he was injured.
Organizers in Highland Park say their alarm system is intended to alert residents to the presence of federal immigration agents. Installation efforts are ongoing as the Feb. 23 target date approaches.