Dallas Volunteers Help Migrant Families Daily at ICE Office

Every weekday at 5:30 a.m., a tent goes up outside the Dallas ICE field office, staffed by volunteers wearing orange vests emblazoned with butterflies. They're there to help families navigate one of the most stressful days imaginable.

Zoya Choudhry, 30, spends her summer mornings rushing between families in the parking lot. She volunteers with La Colectiva North Texas, a grassroots group offering translation services, snacks, activity kits for kids, and something even more valuable: information about what happens if ICE detains their loved one.

"It's not charity, it's empathy," Choudhry said. "You're my neighbor and I care about you."

The volunteers hand out Department of Homeland Security privacy waivers to people heading into appointments. Without this paperwork signed and given to family members, officials may not be able to share any information about where someone is being held. That simple form can mean the difference between a family finding their loved one or losing contact entirely.

Around 75 volunteers rotate through three-hour shifts to keep the tent staffed six days a week. Many are women, known locally as "the ladies of the tent." They work through rain, snow, and brutal Texas heat to make sure no one walks into that building unprepared.

La Colectiva can't prevent deportations. But volunteers help pay rent for families whose breadwinner gets detained, make sure cars don't get towed from the lot, and sometimes just offer a bottle of cold water. On scorching days, that matters more than you'd think.

The Ripple Effect

The Dallas field office recorded the second-highest number of immigration arrests nationwide in early 2026, averaging 85 per day. That means potentially hundreds of family members arriving each week, many confused and terrified about what's happening to their loved ones.

By providing practical support and emotional grounding, these volunteers are creating a safety net that didn't exist before. They're identifying patterns in detentions, connecting families with legal resources, and most importantly, showing people they're not alone during their darkest moments.

"Up until this point, you've been robbed of your agency, you've been robbed of your choice," Choudhry tells families. "But what I can do is help them."

The volunteers aren't political operatives or paid staff, just neighbors who believe that showing up for people in crisis is the right thing to do. They're proving that even when systems feel overwhelming, human kindness can create space for dignity and hope.

Six days a week, before most of Dallas wakes up, these volunteers are there with their tent, their fans, their snacks, and their unwavering commitment to helping strangers who need it most.