How to protect your community from ICE when you have Long COVID

People are taking on immigration enforcement from bed and the streets. We talked to two organizers for tips to participate in resistance while staying safe.

A young group of protestors march in the streets of Chicago protesting ICE, while wearing high quality masks. They hold signs that say, "Families belong together," "Chinga tu MAGA," and other messages. — “20250610_3752” (marchers at a June 2025 protest in Chicago), by Paul Goyette, CC BY 2.0

Six years into the pandemic, COVID-19 remains the leading cause of death for ICE agents. If this sounds like a punchline — “never thought I’d root for COVID” was a common sentiment when Mother Jones reported on the finding — think again. As Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues its campaign of terrorism across the U.S., its jackboots are weaponizing COVID-19, measles, tuberculosis, and more.

In January, an 18-month-old baby held at the so-called family detention center in Dilley, Texas — a concentration camp in all but name — was hospitalized with both COVID-19 and RSV, and nearly died from pneumonia and severe respiratory distress. When she was released from the hospital back into detention, ICE denied her parents access to the breathing medication she had been prescribed.

The Dilley facility also reported two cases of measles in January. At another Texas facility, Camp East Montana outside El Paso, 14 cases of measles, two cases of tuberculosis, and 18 cases of COVID-19 were reported in February and March. A congressional watchdog investigation published in June found that Camp East Montana neglected to test detainees for tuberculosis, failed to provide treatment plans for diabetes and HIV, and apparently lost or destroyed evidence of a homicide death.

Meanwhile, at Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey — where detainees have been hunger striking since May — nearly 300 people inside signed an open letter detailing torture, starvation, and rampant spread of COVID-19 and flu. Separately, investigations in the Mojave Desert in California have found that ICE weaponized severe medical neglect to encourage “self-deportation.”

Because fascism and disease go hand in hand, many of the demographics that ICE is targeting are also those being disproportionately disabled by Long COVID: Latines, Black people, Indigenous people, trans people, women, and “essential workers” — working-class immigrants and others who cannot take sick days during emergencies.

All this is to say: If you recognize airborne illnesses as an ongoing instrument of mass death and disablement, you are morally obligated to oppose ICE for the same reasons. And if you are already organizing against ICE, you should be masking and encouraging comrades to do the same — not just to protect specific immunocompromised people, who do not owe you disclosure, but to break the chain of eugenics and white supremacy. We keep each other safe, in multiple ways!

If you’ve never considered yourself a community organizer before, now is a great time to start. But what can you do to plug in if you have an energy-limiting illness and can’t take certain risks that you otherwise might? This piece shares some suggestions, informed by interviews with two myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and Long COVID advocates who are organizing against ICE.

If you recognize airborne illnesses as an ongoing instrument of mass death and disablement, you are morally obligated to oppose ICE for the same reasons. And if you are already organizing against ICE, you should be masking and encouraging comrades to do the same.

One is Isabel Ramirez-Burnett, CEO of the patient-led nonprofit Renegade Research, who lives in Rhode Island as part of a multigenerational household. “We are all terrified,” she said, but she is also inspired by the community defense networks protecting people from ICE. This collective spirit reminds her of her childhood in the Dominican Republic, where support from neighbors and extended family was readily available in a culture that prioritized rest.

Linda Pozen, who leads #MEAction’s Minnesota Home Help Navigation program, has found a similar culture of solidarity where they live in Minneapolis. “That is my neighbor. You don’t get to come for them,” they said.

As navigator for the #MEAction program, Pozen helps people with ME and Long COVID get approved for everything from Medicaid to home care to state-level disability determinations. For a time, they also contended with the daily realities of being a chronically ill person in a city under siege.

Although the so-called Operation Metro Surge ended in February and the city has quieted some — less tear gas, fewer noise demonstrations outside hotels where ICE is stationed — there can be no “back to normal” when people continue to be kidnapped off the street.

For Pozen and others with chronic illness who are fighting back, the question remains: “If it happened on my block right now, am I ready?” they said. “Can I miss this appointment because I pull over to stop? Can I not miss this appointment? And then, what does it mean if I’m prioritizing my doctor’s appointment, maybe, over someone’s life?”

Ramirez-Burnett, from Renegade Research, is adamant: “The first layer of what you can do is keeping yourself safe.” If the only thing you can do right now is protect yourself or someone you’re caring for, focus on that. And don’t be afraid to ask for help with specific tasks, whether that’s groceries, rides to appointments, or even mental health support.

“Even if it’s not your immediate community, your immediate friends and family,” said Ramirez-Burnett, “there are communities who are working to help people to get through this.”

Things you can do to protect yourself

If you are a caregiver or have someone who cares for you, make sure that relationship is documented via a healthcare proxy.

Work with your trusted loved ones to put together a personal safety plan with your legal and medical information, as well as what responses you would consent to if you were detained, such as contacting the media or family members. If you’re not sure where to start, you may find this template from community organizer Elliott Fukui to be helpful.

If you have a doctor or doctors you trust, ask them to sign on to a letter documenting the specific reasons that you are medically vulnerable, and that your conditions cannot be managed in a detention facility. List any medical equipment you rely on, as well as day-to-day care such as infusions or dressing changes that must be overseen by a professional. Even if you cannot convince ICE to take you to a hospital instead of a detention center, having this documentation ready can help a lawyer petition for habeas corpus on your behalf.

If you are higher risk but have some capacity to help others, there are lots of ways you can plug in directly with your local community without leaving the house. Ramirez-Burnett, for example, has been using her management skills to help to coordinate the efforts of other volunteers from her phone.

Things you can do from home

Sign on to #MEAction’s “ICE Makes Me Sick” campaign, and check out their Take Action Guide, which includes low- and medium-spoons activities such as calling and emailing elected representatives, and sharing the campaign on social media.

Donate to rent funds, grocery delivery networks, mask blocs, and other community-led projects that are working outside the nonprofit system to get aid to people quickly.

Get to know your neighbors! Ask them to commit to not letting ICE in without an administrative warrant, and consider making a rapid response chat on Signal for your building or block.

If you rely on personal care attendants or home health aides — many of whom are immigrants — let them know your home is a safe location and, if possible, make backup plans for your care so that they can take time off if they don’t feel safe commuting to work. For more resources on how to provide a safer and more equitable workplace, check out Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employers Network.

Remember, you don’t have to be out in the streets to make a difference. That said, if you are more mobile (or have good mobility aids!) and feel safe venturing out, there are several ways you can get involved where your lived experience and wisdom may be particularly valuable.

Support independent Long COVID journalism

Things you can do in the streets

Distribute masks, air purifiers, and first aid supplies. For tear gas, full-face respirators are particularly needed. In times of crisis, mask blocs and street medic groups may or may not be able to accept volunteers, so if you don’t hear back, don’t let that stop you from starting something on your own!

Accompany others to medical appointments and the emergency room. While many groups do this work, you may have unique experience talking about Long COVID and ME to medical professionals, which can be helpful if you are accompanying others with these illnesses.

If you work in healthcare, connect with the Beyond Do No Harm Network from Interrupting Criminalization for resources on how to organize a medical rapid response network.

Join a neighborhood patrol. These efforts are usually nonhierarchical and require some light vetting for newcomers. If you’re not sure how to get an invite, start by asking friends and neighbors if they know of any rapid response trainings that you can join.

If you want to get involved with more clandestine actions, you will need to start by building relationships of trust with your local communities. Brush up on your digital security, and remember that not everything you do needs to be talked about online in order to have value.

Things may feel like an emergency right now (and they absolutely are), but much like the ongoing pandemic, this fight is not ending any time soon. Pace yourself so that you can continue to resist for the long haul.

If you live somewhere that hasn’t been hit as hard yet, Pozen recommends learning from Minnesotans to prepare for future violence in your city or state. “Learn from this because we’ve done half decent here.”

And remember you’re not alone, they said. “We’re going to take care of each other until the federal government decides to leave us alone.”

We’re going to take care of each other until the federal government decides to leave us alone.
Linda Pozen, #MEaCtion

Miranda DeNovo is a patient and caregiver and the founder of Long COVID Safety Net, which advocates for urgent responses to the interconnected crises of homelessness and domestic violence among people with post-viral illnesses.

All articles by The Sick Times are available for other outlets to republish free of charge. We request that you credit us and link back to our website.