Tucson Activists Build Public Map to Expose ICE Raids and Surveillance Amid Deportation Surge

Under President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown, Tucson, Arizona has seen a staggering increase in ICE arrests, with detentions more than tripling in less than a year. In response, local activists and researchers have launched the Tucson Migra Map, a community-built, publicly accessible platform documenting ICE raids, vehicle stops, and aerial surveillance across the city.

The project is spearheaded by a coalition including Tucson Rapid Response, mutual aid groups like La Bodega, and University of Arizona geographer Dugan Meyer. Using data collected since January 2025, the map aggregates hundreds of verified and credible reports from eyewitnesses, social media, local news, and neighborhood networks such as Migra Watch. Each incident is carefully vetted—confirmed cases require photographic evidence of agents in ICE tactical gear, while credible unconfirmed events rely on trained observers’ testimonies.

Activists like Lucia Vindiola, founder of La Bodega, emphasize the map’s importance in exposing the disruptive impact of ICE’s raids on families and communities. “It indicates the level of chaos and how disruptive it is to our community,” Vindiola said. The map highlights hotspots such as El Super grocery store on Tucson’s south side, a frequent target due to its predominantly Latino clientele, and specific apartment complexes singled out for enforcement actions.

The Tucson Migra Map doesn’t just track ground operations; it also plots police and detention facilities alongside flight paths of federal surveillance aircraft, providing a comprehensive picture of the enforcement ecosystem. Rapid Response member Steven Davis, who has personally been pepper sprayed during a documented incident, stresses that making ICE’s actions visible is crucial to holding them accountable. “We take this out of the shadows and get it out into the public,” Davis said.

This initiative follows previous efforts like People over Papers and ICEBlock, which were shut down after federal pressure citing officer safety concerns. But Meyer and collaborators believe constitutional free speech protections will safeguard their project. They hope the map will inspire similar community-driven monitoring efforts nationwide, empowering residents to resist and document abuses of power.

The Tucson Migra Map is a stark reminder that ICE’s enforcement is not just bureaucratic procedure—it is a campaign inflicting fear and disruption on immigrant communities. By shining a light on these operations, Tucson activists are pushing back against a system designed to operate in the shadows.