A group of California educators has sparked intense debate by launching an ICE-patrol team to spot federal immigration agents operating near schools. This development, in which teachers have been patrolling neighborhoods, was recently highlighted in a CBS News ride-along. Lupe Carrasco Cardona, an ethics teacher at the Los Angeles Unified School District, is at the forefront of these patrols. According to the clip, Cardona has been seen prowling for federal employees alongside members of “Unión del Barrio,” an anti-immigration control group. During the ride-along, Cardona reportedly highlighted a Ford vehicle she suspected of being involved in federal operations. However, it was later revealed to be a car belonging to a member of the general public. At the end of the video, the group had found no ICE agents, despite several false alarms. Cardona told CBS that she looks for vehicles with tinted windows or those that are double-parked. In the video, she told her colleague, “Remember to take photos, OK?” while driving past the nondescript Ford Explorer. Despite the active search for agents, Cardona insisted, “We don’t intercept. We don’t engage with them. We’re just alerting the community.” Another teacher present agreed with Cardona, calling tinted windows a “red flag.” Mixed Community response The initiative has received praise from some within the district. Jon Paul Arciniega, a chapter chair for United Teachers Los Angeles, described the operations as “really beautiful” during CBS’s video. He said, “It’s been really beautiful to witness teachers devoting their own personal time to just watching the neighborhood and making sure that it’s safe. And it’s been really beneficial for the students and the families to see that the teachers are out here for them.” The response on social media, however, has been more critical. Some users expressed frustration, asking why these individuals aren’t focusing their efforts on street crime, thieves, or drug dealers. Others questioned why taxpayer-funded educators are focusing their time on tracking federal agents. For instance, Libs of TikTok wrote on X, “Los Angeles teachers are patrolling the area around schools for ICE activity to warn illegals so they can evade ICE. They only reason they would do this is if @LASchools is full of illegals. @ICEgov should definitely visit LA Schools. Why are we paying for illegals’ education?!” The Los Angeles Unified School District, which serves nearly 400,000 students, is currently very worried. Per the LA Public Press, the district is currently operating under strict safety protocols. In a phone interview, Superintendent Andrés E. Chait stated, “We have very strong policies around who can access our campus,” Chait said. “Short of a judicial warrant, we do not grant access to immigration enforcement agents to our students or our staff.” The district has implemented several measures to support families in the wake of increased immigration enforcement activity, including a “We Are One hotline” for legal, health, and housing resources. Despite these efforts, some educators and community organizers argue that the district relies too heavily on teachers to ensure campus safety. South Central LA students go back to school as volunteers patrol the neighborhood against ICECommunity Self Defense Coalition volunteers monitored neighborhoods across LA in the early hours of the morning.https://t.co/Bd1DFpBOYV— Los Angeles Public Press (@LAPublicPress) August 12, 2026 Jessica Rodarte, vice president of United Teachers LA, expressed this sentiment at a press conference. She said, “We are here because the terror, the state sanctioned violence hasn’t stopped. Families are still being separated. It’s not fair to put the burden of the safety of our schools on teachers.” Teachers also led ICE vigilance in Minneapolis earlier this year. Then the community eventually embraced common whistles to fight against immigration enforcement. Ron Gochez, an organizer with Unión del Barrio, told LA Public Press that residents feel safer leaving their homes when volunteers are actively monitoring for ICE activity. “People who call us with information trust that we are actually going out there to verify suspicious activity and when it is an actual ICE raid, that we will organize resistance against it to protect our community members,” Gochez said. In response to this characterization, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told LA Public Press that such language contributes to violence against federal agents. The agency maintained that law-abiding residents have nothing to fear. Los Angeles teachers are patrolling the area around schools for ICE activity to warn illegals so they can evade ICEThey only reason they would do this is if @LASchools is full of illegals..@ICEgov should definitely visit LA Schools. Why are we paying for illegals’… pic.twitter.com/2YY3cbx53A— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) August 13, 2026 “ICE is not going to schools to make arrests,” the spokesperson said. “If a dangerous or violent illegal criminal alien felon were to flee into a daycare, or a child sex offender is working as an employee, there may be a situation where an arrest is made to protect the safety of the children.” The district faces a projected $191 million budget deficit by 2027. So, the debate over how to allocate resources and protect students continues to evolve. The district currently maintains an informal relationship with groups like Unión del Barrio. However, some educators feel that a more formal partnership would be more effective in navigating the current climate, especially as students head back to class.