This story is published in collaboration with The Nation.

United States Border Patrol gave city leaders in Charlotte, North Carolina, just two days’ notice before unleashing “Operation Charlotte’s Web” on November 15, the latest in a series of immigration operations targeting Democratic cities.

Secrecy and confusion seemed to be part of the playbook. When Border Patrol agents began appearing in Durham and Raleigh, more than two hours away from Charlotte, the mayors of both cities said they had no idea it was coming. A week into the operation, Democratic Governor Josh Stein wrote a stinging letter to the Department of Homeland Security, stating, “State officials have received no notice of planned immigration enforcement actions since these operations began.”

North Carolinians may have been largely kept in the dark about US Customs and Border Patrol’s immigration action, but Siembra NC, a Latino group founded in 2017 in response to the first Trump administration’s attacks on immigrants, was ready.

Siembra NC was at the center of a counter-movement that saw thousands quickly mobilize in churches, neighborhoods, and schools across North Carolina. The day before Board Patrol arrived in Charlotte, Siembra NC launched a widely shared website—OJO Obrero, or “Lookout, Workers”—mapping confirmed sightings of CBP agents and arrests.

They also began training an army of volunteers across the state to monitor Border Patrol activity and ensure the safety of immigrant communities. On the very day agents were raiding neighborhoods and workplaces, Siembra NC hosted a “Safe to School, Safe to Work, Safe to Worship” training that drew 400, sharing information on how to identify agents, organize neighborhood patrols, and de-escalate conflict. Word spread quickly: In the next few days, more than 1,000 volunteers packed Methodist and Presbyterian churches in Charlotte. When Border Patrol showed up in Durham and Raleigh, hundreds more signed up for trainings there. Just over a week after the raids began, Siembra NC reported that more than 4,000 patrol volunteers had been trained across the state, giving concerned North Carolinians a concrete way to channel their fear and outrage.

“People go to a training, take a shift, become shift leads, train other people,” said Nikki Marín Baena, the daughter of Colombian immigrants and codirector of Siembra NC. “Lots of people are suddenly able to take action quickly to help people get home safely, to help kids get home from school.”

While Marín Baena and........

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