A newly established activist group with Democratic leanings has successfully amassed over $700,000 to fund "mobile response teams" designed to confront Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during their operations in California.
This development comes amidst a backdrop of escalating violence against ICE agents. The organization, known as the Save America Movement, is actively soliciting donations to enable its teams to "follow ICE raids in real time," as highlighted in a fundraising text message reported by Townhall columnist Dustin Grage.
The group, which began its political advertisements and social media presence in June, has set an ambitious fundraising target of $1 million for its anti-ICE campaign.
According to Conservative Daily News, the Save America Movement's initiative, dubbed "Liberty Vans," aims to deploy mobile response teams equipped with cameras, chaplains, lawyers, and veterans. The goal is to document and expose the actions of ICE agents, who are accused of conducting raids in Los Angeles "in masks without badges, names, or accountability." The project has seen a significant surge in funding, reaching $724,395 by Monday, a substantial increase from $280,489 reported on Thursday, and surpassing a previous goal of $500,000, as evidenced by archived pages from the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue.
Despite multiple inquiries from the Daily Caller News Foundation, the Save America Movement has remained silent, offering no comments on their activities or objectives. The group, which announced its steering committee on June 18, includes prominent Democratic and Democrat-aligned figures such as Erika Alexander, Rev. Dr. William Barber, Ryan Busse, Steve Schmidt, and Billy Ray.
Notably, Alexander and Barber have previously addressed the Democratic National Convention (DNC), with Alexander having campaigned for Hillary Clinton during her 2008 presidential bid. Steve Schmidt, a former co-founder of the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, resigned from the organization in 2021.
In a related incident, Barber and fellow steering committee member Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove were detained alongside other demonstrators in Washington, D.C., on June 30. This protest was centered on health and welfare provisions within a budget bill that President Trump enacted on July 4. The Save America Movement's website outlines its mission to "confront MAGA" and "engage voters," among other objectives.
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has raised alarms over the increasing frequency of physical assaults on ICE agents, which have surged nearly sevenfold in 2025 compared to the same timeframe in 2024. The resistance to immigration enforcement has manifested in two shootings targeting ICE and Border Patrol facilities in Texas, as well as violent riots in California and across the nation.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin expressed concern over the situation, stating, "While ICE and [Customs and Border Protection] officers are being assaulted by rioters and dodging bullets to save children, Sanctuary politicians are demonizing ICE and CBP."
She further emphasized the department's commitment to prosecuting individuals who assault or dox federal law enforcement to the fullest extent of the law, referencing a recent raid where agents discovered unaccompanied minors working at a California cannabis farm.
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