Summary
Over the past two weeks, several major U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Austin, Dallas and Washington D.C. have seen a surge in protests triggered by recent federal immigration enforcement actions. The unrest, initially concentrated in Los Angeles, was sparked by widespread reports of mass ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids. What began as community resistance quickly escalated into large-scale demonstrations, clashes with law enforcement and even the deployment of National Guard troops to restore order in select areas. From anti-ICE protests outside Trump Tower in Manhattan to tear gas deployments outside federal buildings in Texas, the unrest has intensified across multiple fronts. Protesters have blocked roads, occupied public spaces and called for an end to deportation policies.
In Los Angeles, demonstrators directly confronted ICE agents attempting arrests, with tension escalating across multiple days. Meanwhile, cities like Austin and Dallas saw thousands march toward government buildings, resulting in arrests and damage to property. In Washington, D.C., protesters surrounded federal facilities, demanding sweeping changes to detention policies and enforcement practices. What makes this wave of protest particularly significant is its speed, scale and digital coordination. Amplified by realtime updates and calls to action on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, these protests resemble the social media-driven mobilizations seen during the 2020 George Floyd demonstrations. The convergence of digital activism, immigration policy and civic unrest presents a volatile landscape for both governments and businesses alike.
Mapping Risk: Protest Flashpoints and the ICE Facility Footprint
To better understand the scale and geography of the current unrest, S7 ONE mapped over 70 verified ICE-related protest incidents and overlaid them with the distribution of ICE detention facilities across the United States. In the visual above, red dots mark protest incidents, while state shading indicates the number of ICE detention facilities. States like Texas, Florida and Louisiana house the highest number of facilities, yet it is Los Angeles, with comparatively fewer, that has seen the most significant disruption so far.
This disparity raises important questions: if states with fewer facilities are already seeing major unrest, what might unfold in places with greater ICE infrastructure? For example, as well as having the most facilities both Florida (277) and Texas (91) have by far the most agencies participating in the ICE program. Although California is one of the “big three” Democrat strongholds, protests in Dallas, Austin and Tampa showcase that Republican ran states are not immune to disruption. This geographic overlay doesn’t just visualize current events, it points to potential vulnerable zones. For businesses, this highlights the importance of anticipating unrest, understanding where risks are likely to escalate and taking pre-emptive steps to protect people, assets and operations.
Why This Matters for Businesses
While the underlying drivers of these protests are political and social, their operational consequences for businesses, particularly those in affected metro areas, are immediate and material. Unrest of this nature can lead to:
- Disruption to office access and daily operations
- Risks to personnel and customers near protest hotspots
- Transport and supply chain interruptions
- Reputational harm if companies are perceived as unprepared or indifferent
- Delays in decision-making due to rapidly evolving situations
In today’s fast-moving threat landscape, where demonstrations can escalate within hours and leap across cities, businesses need real-time situational awareness and a proactive approach to risk and resilience.
How S7 ONE Helps Build Resilience
At S7 ONE, we help organizations shift from a reactive posture to a proactive resilience strategy through integrated tools that combine real-time threat intelligence, asset-based risk monitoring, travel security and workforce readiness training. Here’s how we support our clients during volatile periods like the anti-ICE protests:
1. Real-Time Intelligence with Precision Filtering
Our platform allows you to track protest-related terms like “ICE protest,” “immigration raids” or “federal building” in real time. You can filter incidents by geography, date or type and receive verified updates from our 24/7 analyst team as new developments unfold. During the current wave of unrest, users monitoring terms like “ICE” or “protest” would have seen incidents plotted across California, Texas, and New York within minutes. Our platform also allows you to search by theme as seen in the George Floyd example below. This tool also covers global geopolitical trends such as water scarcity, terrorism and sanctions so your team stay informed, monitor and visualize the themes which matter most to your operations
2. Geofencing, Instant Reporting & Asset Protection
With custom geofencing, organizations can draw risk zones around areas which are important to them such as cities, offices or travel routes. In this case, we geofenced Los Angeles, one of the key protest flashpoints and used our Virtual Analyst tool to instantly generate a report summarizing recent incidents in the area. This rapid, automated summary provides actionable insight within seconds, offering a clear snapshot of protest patterns, threat types and severity levels. Such reporting empowers teams to quickly assess the evolving situation, determine the proximity of risk to key infrastructure and adjust their response accordingly. Clients can also plot assets directly onto the map, enabling dynamic monitoring and ensuring that both security and operations teams are aligned when incidents unfold. Whether planning ahead or reacting in real time, this capability supports faster, more informed operational and strategic decision-making.
3. S7 ONE Connect
S7 ONE Connect enables organizations to communicate with their people in real time through a range of channels including SMS, WhatsApp, email and in-app push notifications. Whether sending mass alerts, targeted updates, or engaging in two-way communication, the platform supports fast, secure messaging across large or distributed teams. As illustrated in the screenshot below, security teams can identify at-risk zones, assess severity levels, and reach affected staff instantly, in their preferred language and format. This capability is particularly vital during evolving situations like protest movements, where speed, clarity, and responsiveness can make a critical difference.
- Instant alerts tailored to their risk exposure
- Automated workflows aligned with pre-defined emergency protocol
- Operational coordination tools that reduce duplication and boost response times
4. Industry-Leading Crisis Training
In response to the ongoing wave of Anti-ICE protests and increased nationwide activism, we offer specialized crisis and resilience training to help organizations prepare for demonstrations, civil disturbances, and politically motivated disruptions. Our internationally accredited training library—spanning 500+ digital and instructor-led modules—supports public and private sector entities with practical, standards-aligned crisis readiness. Our solutions are grounded in real-world operational expertise and trusted by over 3 million users globally—including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, humanitarian organizations, and critical infrastructure providers. • Key training areas include:
- Civil Disorder and Political Unrest
- Facility and Personal Safety and Security
- Emergency Lockdown, Evacuation, and Shelter-in- Place Protocols
- Emergency Communications and Stakeholder Coordination
- Protection Strategies Against Targeted Operational Disruption
- Business Continuity and Crisis Recovery in High- Visibility Events
Developed by experts in public safety, crisis response, and organizational resilience, our programs are SCORM compliant, available in over 15 languages, and easily tailored to meet your location, mission, and risk exposure. As protest activity intensifies across the U.S., particularly around immigration enforcement, now is the time to ensure your teams are trained, protected, and prepared to respond with confidence and care.
Outlook: Navigating the Socially Mobile Era of Risk
The current wave of anti-ICE protests underscores a defining characteristic of modern unrest: the speed at which a localized incident can evolve into a national crisis, fueled by digital mobilization and real-time coordination. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram and X have transformed how protest movements organize, grow and sustain momentum, often outpacing the response capabilities of both government and business. This is not unique to immigration.
Whether sparked by law enforcement actions, climate policy or public health mandates, the pattern is becoming increasingly familiar: rapid escalation, decentralized coordination and significant operational disruption. For businesses, the question is no longer if unrest will happen but when, where and how ready you are when it does. Static risk models and reactive protocols are no longer enough. Today’s operating environment demands dynamic situational awareness, scenario planning and a resilience strategy that evolves as fast as the threats themselves. At S7 ONE, we believe that resilience is built before the crisis, not during it. The tools and insights outlined in this report are not just responses, they’re enablers of foresight, clarity and action in a socially mobile era of risk.
