Journalists covering the escalation of federal immigration and border enforcement activities are adopting specialized safety protocols to protect themselves from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
At a recent Institute webinar, three reporters and an editor shared strategies for safely covering immigration sweeps under Operation Metro Surge, a contentious ICE-led operation that began in the Twin Cities on Dec 1, 2025, expanded nationwide in January 2026, and ended on Feb. 12.
Panelists were Arelis Hernández, Washington Post national reporter; Adrian Carrasquillo, national immigration correspondent and The Bulwark newsletter author; Jon Collins, Minnesota Public Radio senior reporter; and Michelle Zenarosa, LA Public Press editor in chief.
Here are their top tips for journalists to safeguard themselves against a wide range of threats while covering protests:
Maintaining physical safety in the field
- Prepare a field safety kit: Be sure to include first aid essentials like a tourniquet: “You just never know what kind of situations you will run into,” Hernández said. “I know it sounds scary, but a tourniquet can save your life, can save somebody else’s life.” (Go deeper: See our guide on what to bring in the field.)
- Team up with other newsrooms and journalists. In an era of dwindling newsroom resources, Zenarosa recommends rethinking journalism’s culture of competition and collaborating with others to provide critical coverage: “We’re a newsroom of 14 staffers, and we were pretty underprepared. I had journalists who got hit by rubber bullets, who got detained, so I looked to organizations that already had frameworks for dangerous reporting.”
- Undergo hostile environment and first aid training (HEFAT). Hernández recommended looking at organizations like the International Women’s Media Foundation that offer opportunities to improve journalists’ safety and wellbeing in the field: “More and more in our country, the kinds of things that war correspondents learn how to do to protect themselves and their crew are the same kind of things that we are going to need to do on our streets.”
Securing digital devices and data
- Block remote surveillance when in the field: Store your smartphone in a Faraday bag — a slim pouch made of specialized metals that blocks law enforcement’s ability to remotely skim data or track you. At the very least, enable airplane mode, which disables incoming and outgoing cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connections.
- Strengthen device security: Disable Face ID and use a six-digit passcode, which makes it harder for agents to legally and technically force you to unlock the device. Zenarosa also suggested enrolling in additional digital security training through the Freedom of the Press Foundation.
- Scrub your personal data: Remove your home address from websites to reduce the risk of harassment and intimidation by hostile individuals. “The Bulwark has a high profile online, and with high visibility comes people who might see your stuff, who might want to go after you, target you, or scare you,” Carrasquillo said. “We had pizzas sent to staffers in a couple instances, which is to show that they know where you live.” (Go deeper: Read our interview with PEN America on how journalists can protect themselves online.)
Understanding legal protections
- Know the reality of your rights: Despite U.S. constitutional protections, not all federal agents on the ground honor them. “You have constitutional rights. You have rights in theory, and then you have rights in practice,” said Collins. “And what’s on the ground here is that ICE and the federal agents are not respecting those rights in practice.”
- Prepare for possible arrest: Before heading out in the field, write your attorney’s phone number on your arm or body because agents will likely confiscate your phone.
- Know what to do if arrested: Remain calm and contact an attorney as soon as possible. For newsrooms without in-house counsel: Leverage existing frameworks and legal guides from organizations, such as ProJourn, which offers pro bono legal help to journalists, or the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, who offer a free Legal Hotline for media professionals.
Watch the full conversation: