On October 5 ICE launched Operation Safe California – a 45-day surge targeting sanctuary cities across the state. DHS won’t confirm it exists. But communities from San Diego to Los Angeles, the Central Valley, and Ventura County are watching it happen in real time: federal agents told to “go after anybody” kidnapping hundreds of people in the first 10 days alone, all playing out right before the US midterms. But communities are fighting back. This week in Ventura County, dozens of neighbors and rapid responders surrounded ICE agents and stopped them from taking a mother and father on their way to work – with their kids in the back seat. Jonathan Renoj, a volunteer with VC Defensa, says community defenses are surging to match ICE, as people who have never organized before join patrols, and neighbors who no longer trust local police turn to rapid responders for protection. He explains why federal raids on volunteers’ homes only grew the movement, how the crackdown is connected to voter suppression, and what it will take to build a network that can follow ICE from San Diego all the way to the Bay Area. Watch full episodes of BT Live, join breakthroughnews.org as a member today! #breakthroughnews

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