When she isn’t in the pulpit, a 71-year-old pastor and grandmother is behind the wheel of her car, quietly criss-crossing New Orleans to follow and monitor Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity — and warn her community in real time.
“I have to act,” said the Rev. Jane Mauldin, a minister affiliated with the North Shore Unitarian Universalists in Lacombe, La., in an interview with MS NOW posted on Wednesday, Dec. 10. “I can’t sit at home with my puppy dogs and my hobbies because I believe our democracy is threatened.”
Described by the outlet as an “ICE verifier,” Mauldin belongs to Facebook and WhatsApp groups that spring into action whenever members report possible ICE or Department of Homeland Security (DHS) activity in the area.
When a report comes in, Mauldin drives to the location, where she and others photograph and record what they believe are immigration enforcement vehicles. They then share those images and details with their social media networks — both to alert local residents that federal agents may be nearby and to make it clear to those agents that their presence is being watched.
“I’ve seen a number of DHS or ICE vehicles in the last week or so,” Mauldin told the outlet during one of her patrols, pointing out a suspected vehicle parked on a property. “They’re large, dark SUVs or white SUVs with fully dark tinted windows, out-of-state license plates, often one or two individuals in the front seat, and they’re not where they are supposed to be.”
“There is no reason for them to be parked here for a long period of time with nothing around, and it totally fits the mode of what an ICE or DHS vehicle is,” she added.
Mauldin’s patrols come amid heightened ICE enforcement around the country under President Donald Trump’s intensified crackdown on illegal immigration. In recent years, numerous reports have documented suspected violators being stopped and detained, as well as protests over the tactics and visibility of immigration agents.
According to the North Shore Unitarian Universalists’ website, Mauldin first served as the congregation’s minister from 1986 to 1997, then returned from 2016 to 2023 in a part-time consulting role.
Asked why she dedicates so much of her time to these patrols, Mauldin told MS NOW, “I have to act out of love, which is the core of my faith.”
“I have to act. I want to go to bed at night knowing that I have made a difference for my community, for people I care about, and for my country,” she said.
Reporters reached out to DHS and to Mauldin through the North Shore Unitarian Universalists on Friday, Dec. 12, seeking comment but did not receive an immediate response.
