Queens Neighbors Unite to Help ICE Detainees Find Families

When J.Y. got a text that ICE agents had arrested another neighbor in Corona, Queens, she clocked out of work and started walking the neighborhood with a screenshot from the arrest video. She had one question for every business owner and resident she met: "Do you know this person?"

J.Y., a Peruvian American who's lived in Queens for decades, is part of a volunteer collective that's been doing community organizing for over ten years. What started as a police watchdog group has become a lifeline for immigrants swept up in federal enforcement operations.

The results speak for themselves. In November 2025 alone, the volunteers confirmed that more than 20 Latino men were arrested by ICE in their Queens neighborhood. They've successfully identified 15 detained individuals, tracked down their families, and connected them with legal help and fundraising resources.

Two men have been released from detention after the group connected them with immigration lawyers. That's two families reunited because neighbors refused to look away.

The work is painstaking. J.Y. and her fellow volunteers walk from laundromats to delis to restaurants, showing photos and asking questions. They share pamphlets with local contacts and tips for encountering federal agents. Most importantly, they've built trust over years of showing up.

Business owners have become essential partners. Joey, who owns a convenience store, joked with J.Y. about needing to learn more Mandarin and Cantonese to expand their network. "We need more people to help," she said between ringing up customers.

Y.S., who works at a local laundromat, explained the motivation simply in Spanish: "You feel good when you can do something, help them somehow. Even if you can help a little, you feel better."

The volunteers aren't waiting for outside救援. "No one is going to save you," J.Y. explained. "No one's gonna get faster here than your own neighbors. You have to self-organize."

The Ripple Effect

What's happening in Corona shows what's possible when communities take care of their own. Six residents told reporters that the neighborhood network gave them both practical resources and something deeper: purpose during frightening times.

The mutual aid isn't just about individual arrests. Volunteers connect current enforcement to broader patterns, helping neighbors understand they're part of a larger story of resilience and resistance.

Business owners from different backgrounds—Latino, Chinese, and others—are learning each other's languages and building cross-cultural solidarity. Fear could have isolated this community, but instead it's bringing people together across every dividing line.

The model is spreading. Rapid response networks have appeared across New York City as immigration enforcement has intensified, each learning from groups like J.Y.'s that have been doing this work quietly for years.

Corona's residents have transformed their main commercial corridor into something more than a place to shop and commute—it's become a neighborhood that shows up for its own.