When she is not ministering, a 71-year-old pastor and grandmother spends her time in her car following and monitoring Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in New Orleans to keep her community informed.

“I have to act,” the Rev. Jane Mauldin, a minister affiliated with the North Shore Unitarian Universalists, based in Lacombe, La., told MS NOW in an interview 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 is part of Facebook and WhatsApp groups that respond to witness reports about ICE or Department of Homeland Security (DHS) activity in the community in real time.

After arriving at the scene, they take pictures and videos of what they believe to be immigration law enforcement vehicles, then they share that information with social media groups to inform the community about federal agents’ presence in the area — and to let government agents know they are being monitored.

“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 as she pointed to one suspected vehicle 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."

Asked about why she 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 continued.