Raid Alerts: In 2025, Latino communities in the United States face an increase in ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids under more aggressive detention and deportation policies.
In response to this situation, technological tools and community communication networks have emerged to alert about the presence of immigration agents in real time, helping to prevent detentions and family separations.
Waze-like applications for survival
Raid alerts: Projects such as ICEBlock allow users to anonymously report the location of raids, roadblocks or arrests.
The alerts appear on a map visible to any nearby user, disappear within a maximum of four hours and do not collect personal data.
Since its launch in April 2025, ICEBlock has surpassed 100,000 downloads on iOS and has become a symbol of digital resistance in Latino neighborhoods.
Another initiative, People Over Papers, created by a volunteer who identifies herself as “Celeste,” coordinates more than 45 collaborators who receive and verify reports before publishing them.
This network is organized in a decentralized manner to protect the identity of those who participate and to avoid reprisals.
Social networks, Ring cameras and more
In addition to specialized applications, migrant communities have adapted the use of social networks such as Facebook, WhatsApp groups and Telegram.
As well as home security systems such as Ring Neighborhood Watch, to share alerts about ICE operations.
ICEBlock has surpassed 100,000 downloads on iOS
QuéOnnda.com
In some cities, neighbors have created closed groups in which information is verified before it is disseminated.
This is in order to avoid false rumors that could generate panic.
This strategy of “confirmed alerts” seeks to protect the community without falling into disinformation.
Impact on Latino neighborhoods
Buzzy
Recent analysis shows that the majority of raids in 2025 will be concentrated in communities with a high Latino presence.
Even outside so-called “sensitive areas” such as schools or churches.
This targeting has led to increased absenteeism from school, fear of going to hospitals and loss of jobs for fear of being stopped on the way to work.
Project 2025, promoted by the current administration, has decentralized some immigration processes to less prepared local courts, which worries human rights advocates.
Legal rights and precautions
Immigration experts remind that, although the use of apps and community networks to warn about raids is protected by the First Amendment, there is always a risk of being charged with obstruction of justice if you actively participate in preventing an arrest.
Therefore, organizations recommend that alerts be limited to sharing verified information without physically interfering in the operations.
For more information, visit QuéOnnda.com.
