[Based on an essay published on Staub’s Substack, “Spiritual Witnessing.”]
Do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor (Leviticus 19:16)
Wherever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must — at that moment — become the center of the universe. — Elie Wiesel
Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, may their memories always be a blessing, were Legal Observers — members of a group that monitors and documents the actions of ICE agents in one’s community. “Legal Observer” is what is written on the badges that my fiancé Richard and I wear around our necks for one two-hour shift each week, ready to witness, record and video when ICE agents are sighted. That was intended to identify us easily if we are stopped by an ICE agent, but it has now acquired additional meaning. We resist ICE’s unlawful and unregulated behavior in Good’s and Pretti’s memory.
In our own backyards
National attention has understandably focused on Minneapolis and the fatal shootings, without justification, of two wonderful people. Public protests and legal challenges have managed to curb some of the brutal and illegal excesses of ICE in Los Angeles, Portland, Chicago and elsewhere, so it is important to pursue those avenues of resistance. But ICE continues to detain and arrest people across the country, under the radar. We should not allow ourselves to be distracted, so that we ignore what is happening in our own backyards.
Under the radar
Recently, I was describing to a friend how Richard and I are involved in a local “rapid response” work — that we are part of group of several dozen volunteers who are “on call” or who scout in our cars on the streets of a neighborhood less than 20 minutes away, where there are daily detentions of Latine people by ICE.
“But there’s nothing happening there, right?” he asked. “There’s nothing on CNN about anything happening here at all.”
It’s only “news” if Trump announces that he’s sending in the National Guard or threatens to invoke the Insurrection Act to send in 1500 troops from the 11th Airborne Division stationed in Alaska.
There is no list of the names of people at Moshannon that can be accessed by families of people who have been disappeared.
Actually, there are several detentions in our area every day. Day laborers are rounded up in parking lots as they wait for potential employers. Agents pull parents out of cars as they drive their kids to school. Agents pound on doors at addresses taken from lists provided by ICE, but they can’t enter without a warrant unless the door is unlocked, so they often do better at meeting their quotas by detaining Spanish-speaking or Latine-looking people in stores or on buses. ICE vehicles have blacked-out windows, so masked agents can’t be spotted until they emerge. Often, the agents wear vests fraudulently marked “Police.” Sometimes, they pull a driver from their car and leave it mid-street, engine running.
Unrestrained and unaccountable
As a rule, detentions occur without reference to whether the person is asked for documents. In our area, agents rarely possess a warrant. Sometimes, detainees are American citizens. Sometimes, they are legal applicants for asylum or green cards. Often, they have the misfortune of being near another person being detained, and they are detained as well. Sometimes, they are told mistakenly by agents that that they have a criminal record. They are not allowed a phone call to their family or lawyer. Agents seem to have discretion about how roughly or violently they treat people detained.
The Moshannon Valley Detention Center in the middle of Pennsylvania is the largest ICE detention center in the Northeast. Reports from those who have been released describe overcrowding, violence, sexual assaults and grossly inadequate medical care at Moshannon. Detainees are routinely detained there for months at a time. There is no list of the names of people at Moshannon that can be accessed by families of people who have been disappeared.
Members of Congress have the right to oversee conditions at ICE detention facilities, which are run by independent contractors, but they are now not allowed in without making a formal request, one week in advance.
Thirty-two people died in ICE detention facilities in 2025, the highest number recorded since 2004. Five more died in the first half of January 2026, so the number will likely skyrocket this year.
One local example: Jean-Paul worked as an attorney in his country of origin and arrived here five years ago. He applied for asylum because his life was endangered back home. He complied with all ICE regulations, appeared for annual or semi-annual check-ins at Immigration. He married and is the daytime caretaker of his wife’s child, who has special needs. In the evenings, he earns money as a driver. One morning last month, he was detained by ICE agents as he was getting into his car. The agent claimed, inaccurately and without evidence, that he had a criminal record. The family has lost his income and the income of his wife, who now must assume childcare duties. More than that, the family has no idea of his location or welfare. And they have no recourse, no venue where they can appeal, no court apparently that can compel ICE to act lawfully.
This is all happening on a daily basis in a town that is not in the news.
According to The Guardian and the American Civil Liberties Union, 32 people died in ICE detention facilities in 2025, the highest number recorded since 2004. Five more died in the first half of January 2026, so the number will likely skyrocket this year. The prohibition in the book of Leviticus not to stand idly by the blood of your neighbor applies directly to this moment. People are dying.
Collective responsibility
There is a commandment in the book of Deuteronomy (21:1-9) about what is required when an unidentified corpse is discovered in open, unincorporated territory. The leaders of the closest town are to undertake a ritual in which they ask for atonement, so that none of the members of their community be held guilty for the death of an innocent person, even though there is no incriminating evidence about anyone. The message is clear: We are all responsible for one another, for providing for the safety of all of us, for creating a society in which every individual life is sacred. The contemporary application is equally clear: If we do not fight vigorously to end lawless detentions and inhumane, life-threatening conditions in detention camps, we ourselves are responsible.
What rapid-response volunteers do
We try to shine light on what is happening in the shadows. We have the right to witness and document what is happening. We can advise people detained not to say anything about their status, not to sign anything. We can ask them whom we should call to let them know what has happened, and we can then organize to assist family members left behind. We can then lobby local officials not to cooperate with ICE.
I was inspired and deeply moved at a recent meeting of our rapid-response team. There were dozens of ordinary people attending on a weekday evening, utterly dedicated to doing what they can to help vulnerable people. They exuded kindness, anger, wisdom and courage. I am so grateful to have found them. You should consider joining a similar group in your area. You can begin by searching for local organizations on the website indivisible.org.
Agents who act criminally will be charged once the rule of law is restored. The evidence we compile of unlawful actions will be relevant in those cases.
Why do we do it?
Clearly, our volunteer group cannot stop ICE actions. Here’s why we are doing it:
- We cannot remain silent. We are resisting by witnessing, by noticing, by refusing to look away. We cannot ignore the fact that human beings are being cruelly treated and deprived of their rights and liberty, and that families are being split apart. All of this is being done without any attention to whether these consequences are justified or are the results of a clerical error or shameless disregard for proper procedure.
- We believe that people who violate the law will eventually be held accountable. Agents who act criminally will be charged once the rule of law is restored. The evidence we compile of unlawful actions will be relevant in those cases. For example, one of us videoed an ICE agent loading a cuffed detainee into his van who then remarked out loud: “Let’s see if he’s undocumented.” Clear self-incrimination.
- We provide a besieged community with comfort and connection, reducing their isolation. People who can’t find their loved one contact us, rather than local police. Sometimes, we have collected helpful information. They know that we are scouting the streets, reading their posts, showing up to offer support.
- Never again. As Elie Wiesel reflected in his acceptance speech when he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986:
“The world did know and remained silent. And that is why I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere.”
