When Fear Comes to Monrovia, We Say: Not on Our Watch

GUEST OPINION

Vigil at Home Depot Monrovia, Friday, August 15, 2025 (Photo – Adele Andrade-Stadler)

On the morning of August 14 in Monrovia, a man was killed, and the federal government’s masked Gestapo kidnapped over ten of our neighbors. In flagrant defiance of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California’s Temporary Restraining Order prohibiting racial profiling as probable cause, ICE has once again violated our communities.

By Michael Ocon

As Monrovians and, indeed, as people of good conscience, we must condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the federal government’s ongoing campaign of fear, detention, and disruption carried out through ICE operations in Los Angeles County, including here in our own city. The presence of ICE agents in local hotels, the use of military-style force in immigrant neighborhoods, and the targeting of our neighbors, workers, and families are an unconscionable abuse of power.

These actions are not abstract debates or distant policies; they are personal assaults on our neighbors and our community. They shatter trust, instill fear in classrooms, clinics, and homes, and turn neighbor against neighbor, friend against friend. Make no mistake: the manufacturing of crisis and the fomenting of conflict are deliberate. They provide a pretext to expand repression, justify raids, and normalize oppressive control over our communities.

We are witnessing, in real time, the erosion of our democracy and the consolidation of authoritarian power. We must be absolutely clear: this is not normal. Human beings are not illegal, and ICE does not make us safer. On the contrary, these enforcement operations are unlawful and constitute domestic terrorism.

This moment demands action, coordination, and a renewed commitment to our collective values and shared responsibilities. We all have a role to play in protecting our immigrant neighbors and ensuring their safety in our community. As a member of the school board and a servant of this community, I know that many of our children are afraid to go to school, and their families are afraid to send them. This is unconscionable, and it is a weight we must all shoulder.

My duty is to ensure our schools are safe and that our district is proactively preparing to defend the rights and safety of our students, parents and caregivers, educators, and staff. I commit to reviewing district policies, building solidarity with my colleagues and, if necessary, placing my body between ICE enforcers and our children and parents. I invite all of my neighbors to join me in peaceful, yet resolute, acts of resistance, declaring: Not on my watch! Not on our watch!

Michael Ocon is a Monrovia Unified School Trustee. He is speaking for himself.

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