Secret ‘Watch List’ in Nashua Tracks ICE Activity, Video From Democrat State Rep Reveals

Rep. Paige Beauchemin (D-Nashua)

NASHUA, N.H. — A video posted by Democratic State Rep. Paige Beauchemin is drawing new scrutiny after she described being part of a “watch list” that monitors federal immigration enforcement activity in Nashua and mobilizes observers in real time.

Recorded from her car while driving, Beauchemin recounts being alerted early in the morning that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were spotted outside the Nashua courthouse. She says the notification came through a network designed to ensure that someone is on site to witness or record enforcement activity.

"I'm on a Nashua watch list so that when things happen we get in touch with people right away," Beauchemin says in the video. "There's a whole like network in Nashua."

According to Beauchemin, the system is designed to help ensure families are notified and that individuals facing enforcement have support. She says she received the alert while getting her children ready for camp and drove to the courthouse “in [her] pajamas,” arriving within 10 minutes. By the time she got there, she said, the incident was over.

“There was nothing we could do,” she says.

ICE Presence Sparks Organized Local Alerts

While the video does not identify who created or manages the alert system, Beauchemin’s comments confirm the existence of a coordinated local effort to respond to immigration enforcement activity. She also notes that individuals “waiting and watching” near the courthouse are positioned to alert others when ICE arrives.

The rapid-response model described in the video mirrors similar systems used in other cities where progressive organizers aim to document or monitor federal enforcement actions. ICE has previously criticized such efforts, warning that they can disrupt lawful operations or lead to public confrontations.

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Harassment of ICE a Growing Trend

Across the country, progressive activists have increasingly mobilized against ICE, sometimes following agents, recording enforcement attempts, or protesting outside courthouses and federal buildings. Federal officials have maintained that courthouses are often necessary locations for enforcement actions due to security and the presence of individuals with outstanding legal matters.

Beauchemin, whose district includes parts of Nashua, does not call for confrontation in the video, but her remarks underscore growing tensions between left-leaning activists and federal immigration authorities.

“This is our community,” Beauchemin says. “These are the friends and family of people that we know who contribute to our community.”

Questions Raised About Secrecy and Coordination

Beauchemin’s revelation of a “watch list” and surveillance network operating in Nashua raises questions about coordination between activist groups and public officials. While the system appears to be privately organized, the involvement of an elected state representative has drawn attention from critics who say such efforts could hinder federal law enforcement.