As RedState has extensively covered, ICE Watch groups in both Portland and Minneapolis have been at the nexus of anti-ICE unrest in both cities over the past week.
The PDX ICE Watch group acted on a leaked 911 transmission to attempt to keep "ICE" from apprehending two suspects with Tren de Aragua ties who had been shot by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) after the male illegal driver rammed his truck into a CBP vehicle. The wounded illegal fled the scene and then called 911 to get assistance for the illegal's wounds. After PDX ICE Watch disseminated this call to their activists, they immediately went to the location to cause a ruckus.
Left-wing rioters and extremists have been gathering outside the apartment building at 148th and Burnside to confront and attack the @PortlandPolice. Portland Police had nothing to do with the DHS-involved shooting. Two people in a pick-up truck were injured by shots after…
— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) January 9, 2026
Left-wing rioters and extremists have been gathering outside the apartment building at 148th and Burnside to confront and attack the @PortlandPolice. Portland Police had nothing to do with the DHS-involved shooting. Two people in a pick-up truck were injured by shots after allegedly trying to run over Border Patrol agents.
Independent journalist Andy Ngo has been following the trail of that leak of the 911 transmission, and connected it to a private EMS contractor:
Internal communications about the shooting were immediately leaked by a Multnomah County first responder to PDX ICE Watch, an extremist open-borders network that Renee Good, the Minneapolis woman shot dead last week, was also involved in. The group posted about the shooting and a crowd mobilized to the apartment building, where they cursed at Portland Police.
On Jan. 13, a spokesperson with the Public Safety Area for the City of Portland said it wasn’t a Multnomah County employee who released the photo. “The matter has been reported to the appropriate licensing agency,” the spokesperson said, without naming the agency. American Medical Response (AMR) is a contracted agency for ambulance services but has not been confirmed as the agency the first responder leaker works for.
Immediately after the Tren de Aragua suspects in Portland were shot and wounded by Border Patrol during a truck ramming attack, selective internal, sensitive information about the shooting was leaked by a first responder to extremist group PDX ICE Watch, which mobilized people on…
— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) January 13, 2026
Immediately after the Tren de Aragua suspects in Portland were shot and wounded by Border Patrol during a truck ramming attack, selective internal, sensitive information about the shooting was leaked by a first responder to extremist group PDX ICE Watch, which mobilized people on scene. A Portland spokesperson told me an investigation revealed it was a first responder from a contracted agency. That suggests it was an ambulance staffer with @AMR_Social.
It's a dangerous thing when emergency response is married with ICE Watch activism, but it appears to be the case in Portland and possibly Minneapolis. Ngo responded to a comment on this X thread and uncovered what happened on the ground with the privately-owned American Medical Response.
An EMT driver who suddenly moved the parked ambulance, nearing (sic) striking federal agents at the ICE facility, leaked to the media the complaint he/she made about being told that if he/she tried to drive the vehicle into the agents, he/she would be shot. @AMR_Social has hired some far-left extremists, and that agency is compromised. Its patients are not safe with some of the people working for them.
What remains unclear is how these groups coordinate and who funds them. According to the NY Post, the "ICE Watch" groups are loosely configured and have popped up across the country over the past year to disrupt ICE enforcement operations by blocking, and even ramming their vehicles, and harassing agents. All under the guise of looking out for one's neighbor.
Coalitions similar to ICE Watch have cropped up all over the country — with activists using phone apps, whistles and car horns to warn neighborhoods when ICE shows up.
ICE Watch and adjacent groups can also turn confrontational — with numerous instances of activists ramming agents with their cars in the past.
This is what occurred in Minneapolis, when Renee Good, who was trained by a Minneapolis ICE Watch group, hit ICE agent Jonathan Ross, who fired into the car, killing Good in the process. RedState reported that Ross suffered "internal bleeding to the torso following the incident," belying the Left's mockery of Ross and the narrative that he was not in any danger from Good.
Dive Deeper: Exploding the Leftist Narrative? DHS Confirms Agent Who Shot Renee Good Suffered 'Internal Bleeding'
Portland Illegal the PPB Chief Wept Over Repeatedly Rammed Border Patrol Vehicle
This supposedly loose coalition of groups appears to be learning the same tactics and using the same materials, like this "De-Arrest Primer." Published by Defend the 612, another left-wing outfit, this group not only organizes these anti-ICE activities, but they fundraise for them through a pass-through group called Cooperation Cannon River. Its stated goal is "to create social and environmental justice through grassroots organizing and direct democracy in Minnesota."
Can you say, "money laundering"?
While ICE Watch groups are decentralized, the group Defend the 612 organizes these groups, and puts out "community resources" that include the "de-arrest primer."
— Tyler O'Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) January 13, 2026
Supporters can contribute to Defend the 612 by giving to the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Cooperation Cannon River.
🧵5/10 pic.twitter.com/2XLA1uhYU0
“MN ICE Watch,” an Instagram page, shared screenshots from a “de-arrest” primer, which gives agitators advice on how to prevent law enforcement officers from taking someone into custody.
The primer also appears on a list of “MN Community Response Resources” published by Defend the 612, a group that organizes “ICE Watch” activities. The resources page also recommends a tactic of “following ICE vehicles while honking and blowing on whistles when they are sighted,” aiming to create “traffic jams and slowdowns.”
While the ICE Watch groups appear to be loosely organized, some of the Left’s dark money nonprofits appear to have bankrolled a nonprofit that has organized a fundraiser for Defend the 612.
The money trail appears to stop there, but like much of the Minnesota fraud, if one keeps pulling back the layers, the stench will ultimately rise.
Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy RedState’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join RedState VIP and use the promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member