ICE hotline aims to protect local immigrants

In early 2025, the Lehigh Valley’s Emergency Response Network proposed establishing a volunteer-based hotline to protect the community from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Following President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025 the Emergency Response Network of Lehigh Valley — led by Dean Jon Stratton of the Cathedral Church of Nativity — launched an ICE hotline in July to support immigrant communities in response to Trump’s rhetoric. 

Stratton said the group was inspired by a similar group in Colorado with a long-standing rapid response hotline. The Lehigh Valley network ultimately decided a hotline would be the most effective tool for the region.

The group, he said, initially consisted of about 40 people involved through churches or community coordination efforts. After discussing several ideas, members concluded a hotline would best serve the Lehigh Valley. 

The hotline, 610-850-9930, now consists of more than 300 volunteers who operate it regularly. 

Volunteers — all Lehigh Valley residents — manage the hotline and inform immigrants of their rights.

“I think this hotline is very practical in that it provides a service so that if ICE is to show up, we’re going to make sure that our community members are also showing up,” Stratton said. “In many ways our nation is on fire. It’s on moral fire and innocent people are under attack and they’re being taken.”

Stratton said the hotline’s establishment demonstrates support for the immigrant community in the Lehigh Valley.

“If you believe that immigrants are welcome here, that they deserve dignity and respect, then people should care about this hotline because there are other like-minded people out in the community,” Stratton said. “It is an opportunity for you to put your values into action.”

When the hotline receives a report, designated responders send text messages to volunteers who live in the ZIP code where ICE was spotted, depending on the situation. 

The hotline notifies residents of ICE activity and provides resources, such as groceries, clothing and housing, for families who have had a member detained or who have been displaced. 

The Emergency Response Network hotline covers Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton. 

After a call, volunteers respond via text if they’re able to go to the reporter site to confirm agents’ location. If the situation escalates, additional responders are notified through the text messaging system.  

Following a surge of calls in July, the hotline now regularly receives two to three calls per week. These include reports of ICE and questions about community resources. 

Leo Atkinson, the co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America’s Lehigh Valley chapter, said the hotline is a useful tool for those unaware how to respond to ICE’s presence in the area.

“We feel that this hotline is a way to have a front door for people who might be experiencing the brutality of this and where they can reach out and get support from their fellow community members,” Atkinson said. 

Atkinson also said the hotline also supports those previously impacted by ICE activity. Beyond calling the hotline, he said community members can donate items such as clothing or food to families who have been affected.

“If we show up after the fact, we can also get them connected to other resources,” Atkinson said. “We have a mutual aid part of our network. It’s about helping impacted families and getting people resources they need depending on what happened.”

This hotline can also be used by college students. 

Baylee Baker, ‘28, the president of Lehigh College Democrats, said students should promote the hotline and spread awareness to support the broader community.

“I think a lot of people do not necessarily know their rights and what they should do if they were to interact with ICE,” Baker said. “This resource will help them figure it out.”

Baker said the hotline is a resource for people in surrounding communities who are fearful about what their future as local immigrants may look like.

Since its establishment, the Emergency Response Network has gained hundreds of volunteers in the area. At its most recent responder training, about 400 people attended. 

Stratton said the hotline represents a broader movement for social and racial justice in America. 

“The hope is to get to a point where this hotline will no longer be needed,” Stratton said. “However, we have built a considerable and powerful network, and we will be able and ready to respond to the next crises whenever that may be.”

Beyond the hotline, Stratton said the best way to support the Lehigh Valley community is to build relationships with neighbors.

“Get to know people that might look different from you or that might not speak your primary language,” he said. “Build those relationships and those community connections. That’s where the power is.”