Parishioners have asked what they should do, and not do, if they are present when ICE or other federal officers seek entrance to the Church. Let the staff handle all such situations. Our staff are trained on how to respond. The Church is usually locked. Staff will not allow law enforcement to enter unless they present a valid judicial warrant.

• Do not open any door that officers are seeking to enter. Contact the front desk.
• Do not try to exit the Church by any door if you see officers near it. Find another exit or stay inside until the situation is resolved.
• You are legally permitted to take photos and videos that record the actions of ICE officers, including their faces and badges, if visible—but only from a safe standoff distance.
• You should not heckle, confront, engage, or impede law enforcement. The role of a “Constitutional Observer” in such a moment is to document what is happening, not to protest.
• If other church members are with you, you may encourage them to do the same with their phone cameras, provided they are willing to record while observing these restrictions.
• If you take photos or videos, the staff can send them to the Church’s lawyers. Do not post anything on the internet or on social media. Dissemination other than to a bona fide immigrant rights organization’s legal staff puts detainees, their family members, and bystanders at risk of surveillance and arrest.

Here are four organizations that gather evidence and distribute alerts to the public about raids, detentions, and disappearances. Several PCC members have completed their training.

Monarca

You can sign up for excellent training to become a Monarca “Upstander” at https://monarcamn.org/training.

If you attend one of these trainings:

• You will be provided with hotline numbers to submit text alerts in real time about incidents you witness.
• You will be taught how to record encounters and confrontations on video from a safe distance, and why you must not engage in protest or heckling while recording.
• You’ll learn why you don’t post your footage on social media.
• You’ll see examples of judicial warrants and learn to distinguish them from administrative warrants.

Monarca Handbook: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:ddea7f2b-ddc0-47ef-95eb-fa4d0e508be2 

Monarca Resource Guide: https://monarcamn.org/resources

COPAL ( “Comunidades Organizando el Poder y la Acción Latina”)

www.copalmn.org

Conducts training in English. Here is their handbook: https://copalmn.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/PDF-Handbook.pdf

Indivisible Twin Cities

is periodically offering training to be a “Constitutional Observer.” – https://www.mobilize.us/indivisibletwincities/

Unidos Minnesota 

https://unidos-mn.org/

Dear Plymouth Friends,

Recent federal funding cuts are creating greater hardship for many in our community and for partner organizations like the Groveland Foodshelf.

To help supplement resources for our neighbors as partners like Groveland stretch to meet the vastly expanding need, we’re collecting donations to purchase gift cards for food, gas, and transportation, which will be distributed directly through the Plymouth welcome desk. The Board of Outreach will match the first $2,000 in donations from October 30 to November 14. Doubling your impact and helping fill critical gaps as demand grows.

Please click here and select “Outreach” from the dropdown menu to have your gift matched through the Outreach Fund.

Thank you for helping care for our neighbors during this challenging time.