Across the U.S., protests intensify against aggressive Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions, while civilians use digital tools to report ICE activity in real time.
These grassroots, interactive maps and apps, created to help communities avoid federal agents, have attracted surveillance from regional Army intelligence and fusion centers, as revealed by documents obtained by Property of the People. According to a Vermont fusion center bulletin, users report ICE arrests by dropping pins on discreet maps, a method now tracked by the U.S. Army’s ARTIC intelligence unit.
Though users primarily seek safety, ARTIC warns these platforms could be exploited by malicious actors. Public records requests yielded little transparency, with authorities citing ongoing active investigations. Ryan Shapiro of Property of the People criticizes this secrecy, framing law enforcement alerts as inflated threats overshadowing genuine concerns of militarized policing.
Similar crowd-sourced reporting unfolds across Reddit, Padlet, and social sites, flagged in February by the Wisconsin Statewide Intelligence Center as “strategic threats” due to the volume and tone of online content related to ICE tracking and protests, from supportive messages to explicit threats.
Internal bulletins show intelligence monitoring of nationwide “No Kings” protests focused on cities like Sacramento, Fresno, and Stockton. Although nonviolent, officials maintain robust monitoring measures, citing public safety concerns. On the protest day, around 2,000 events coincide with a large military parade in Washington, D.C., escalating national tensions.
Recent large protests in Los Angeles spotlight opposition to federal immigration crackdowns and the presence of military vehicles and drones in immigrant neighborhoods, raising debates on civil liberties, executive overreach, and authoritarian tactics.
The No Kings coalition emphasizes these gatherings as democratic actions against authoritarianism, aiming to reclaim public spaces and voice resistance.
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The ongoing clash between transparency advocates and security agencies highlights complex ethical and legal challenges, shaping the future interplay of technology, protest, and government authority.
Source: WIRED