As tensions grow around the United States, Canada, and Mexico over the potential of future tariffs, mass deportation operations continue. Regardless of your political views this means additional risk that companies and security professionals must consider. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) along with the support of other law enforcement agencies around the country have begun to locate persons of interest who have illegally entered the country and are targeting them for arrest. While many of these individuals are linked to drug cartels, criminal and terrorist organizations and even some suspected of espionage from our adversaries abroad there is a growing discontent by some people in the US to protect illegal immigrants. Anti-ICE Protests are now happening across several states and there is a risk for political and ideological counter-protests to pop up as well. Any of these protests, despite being peaceful, can be a catalyst for violence.
Business owners in major cities, especially those on the border, should pay special attention to the events around their place of business and surrounding areas. During the 2020-2022 protests violence broke out in US cities resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars of property damage and the arrest of over 14,000 people nationwide. Several businesses were damaged and personal property destroyed in the aftermath. Perhaps one of the worst cases resulting in a portion of downtown Seattle also fell into a self-identified “autonomous state” with occupiers shutting down emergency medical services and keeping firefighters from entering to aid wounded and sick people by erecting temporary obstacles to serve as a “border”.
While I know we all pray that the country does not face those situations again, what we have are lessons learned and time to prepare. Businesses and organizations should be reviewing and updating their emergency response, disaster recovery, and business continuity plans to ensure continued operations from alternate locations or under more stringent security procedures if their offices or facilities fall in harm’s way.
Businesses and security professionals should pay close attention to social media. During previous protests, social media had a large role in the mass gathering of individuals locally and from outside the area. Groups known for inciting violence will post on their own social media profiles and they are shared across many platforms on X, Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, Facebook, and in secured messaging apps like Telegram and Whatsapp. Security professionals would be wise to monitor these channels as well as keywords in Google search to identify any efforts to form mass gatherings in their locale.
For customer facing businesses it may be beneficial to consider restricting business hours, home deliveries (if possible), or simply closing the business during those times to prevent risk to customers and employees alike. While a proper risk assessment and tabletop exercise should be conducted to justify these actions at a minimum it should be discussed with stakeholders, security professionals, and risk managers.
If you must stay operational with a mass gathering planned in your area and you deem your business is at risk, you can take simple actions to prevent catastrophic damage. Board up windows and remove any flammable materials around your business. In the past violent extremists have used incendiary devices such as Molotov cocktails to firebomb businesses, vehicles, and public areas. It is also good to meet with your neighbors and ensure they are doing the same. Connected businesses or nearby buildings which are unprotected can spread fire to your business so it’s best to be on the same page.
Although the likelihood of these events happening is minimal the potential loss is great. Businesses and organizations can benefit from completing a proper security risk assessment, especially for large or complicated buildings or campuses and critical infrastructure or mission critical facilities. It is highly recommended to engage an experienced independent security consultant to perform the work. A proper Security Risk Assessment (SRA) should be based on an accepted industry framework and should cover building systems, operations, site improvements, and more. An SRA doesn’t only cover security systems but should paint a picture of the entirety of the business’ assets, operations, and how it interacts with its clients.
If you are looking to complete a security risk assessment, review your plans and policies, or are just looking for some advice, Bastion Security Group is here to help. Give us a call at
1-313-751-8686 or send an email to info@bastionsecuritygroup.com
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