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

In the face of a sharp rise in immigration enforcement under President Trump, Tucson activists have launched a powerful new weapon: a community-built map that tracks ICE and other federal immigration activities across the city. The Tucson Migra Map compiles eyewitness reports, news accounts, and data from local rapid response groups to document raids, vehicle stops, and aerial surveillance, exposing the heavy-handed tactics disrupting immigrant families and neighborhoods.

Since Trump took office, immigration-related detentions in the Tucson area have more than tripled, soaring from under 200 in late 2024 to over 800 by mid-2025. This surge has spurred swift action from local advocates like Lucia Vindiola, founder of the mutual aid group La Bodega, who describes the enforcement as “chaos” that limits families’ ability to shop for groceries and live normal lives.

“We are seeing firsthand the impact on families,” Vindiola said, highlighting how ICE’s aggressive tactics ripple through daily life. The map, created by University of Arizona PhD student and Tucson Rapid Response volunteer Dugan Meyer, is a community research project designed to make these enforcement actions visible and accountable.

The Migra Map categorizes incidents as either “confirmed” — backed by photos or clear evidence like agents’ tactical gear — or “credible but unconfirmed,” based on trusted eyewitness testimony from trained observers. Hundreds of community members, including noncitizens, have contributed reports, creating a detailed database that includes notorious raids such as the December 2025 ICE attack on Taco Giro, where Democratic Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva was pepper-sprayed by federal agents.

“This map takes ICE activity out of the shadows,” said Rapid Response member Steven Davis, who has personally documented multiple incidents, including one where he was pepper-sprayed. “It makes visible what is mostly behind the scenes.”

The map also highlights hotspots like El Super grocery store on Tucson’s south side, frequented by Latino shoppers and repeatedly targeted by ICE, along with specific apartment complexes and surveillance flight paths. Meyer acknowledges the map is an undercount, but its growing data set allows activists and the public to identify patterns and pressure authorities for transparency.

Such community tracking efforts have faced government pushback before. A similar national tracker, People over Papers, was shut down by its host over content policy violations, and the Trump administration previously targeted sites like ICEBlock for removal, citing officer safety. Meyer hopes Migra Map’s grounding in constitutional free speech protections will shield it and inspire similar projects elsewhere.

Unlike real-time alert systems, Migra Map reports incidents after they occur, focusing on building a public archive rather than immediate warnings. This approach aims to document the scale and impact of enforcement over time, providing a crucial resource for resistance and accountability.

In an era when ICE operates largely in the shadows, Tucson’s Migra Map shines a bright light on the administration’s relentless assault on immigrant communities — and shows how grassroots organizing can hold power to account.