The alert line has been operational since 2017, and as long as our neighbors fear the presence of ICE in our community, we will continue to operate.
In 2026, NSN has converted a more professional phone and alert system to meet the increased volume during ICE’s surge in Minnesota.
Our bilingual dispatchers answered over 260 calls, responded to >50 texts and tracked countless social media posts in January & February, sending verifiers out at all hours of the day & night to check out suspicious vehicles and other points of concern.
We reassured our neighbors when we determined a situation was all clear, and, when we confirmed the presence of ICE, we sent 79 confirmed ICE alerts to over 1,800 people.
That included a peak of 15 in one day- which never would have been feasible with our old texting system (because we would have been blocked as spam).
But these are just inputs and outputs. The real impact is that by investing in our alert line, we have been able to stand with our neighbors during a time of intense uncertainty, stress, and trauma. Thanks to our alert line and our sustained presence in the community through on-call verification and scheduled patrols at key locations, we've helped our neighbors feel safe going to work and sending their kids to school - which helped boost school attendance back to normal levels.
We’ll keep answering calls, verifying vehicles to reassure or alert the community, and helping our immigrant neighbors feel safe in their homes, schools, workplaces, and town.