Tucson Activists Build Public Map to Expose Surge in ICE Raids Under Trump

Under President Donald Trump’s aggressive deportation campaign, immigration-related detentions in Tucson have soared from under 200 in late 2024 to over 800 by mid-2025. In response, Tucson migrant advocates have launched the Tucson Migra Map — a community-built, publicly accessible tool designed to document and visualize ICE and federal immigration enforcement actions across the city.

The map aggregates data from eyewitness accounts, local news, social media, and volunteer networks like Tucson Rapid Response and Migra Watch. It catalogs confirmed and credible-but-unconfirmed incidents including raids, vehicle stops, and aerial surveillance, painting a stark picture of the federal crackdown’s reach.

“This map shows the level of chaos and disruption in our community,” says activist Lucia Vindiola, founder of the mutual aid group La Bodega, which supports families affected by enforcement. “We see firsthand how these actions limit people’s ability to shop for groceries and supplies.”

Geographer and UA Ph.D. student Dugan Meyer, a lead creator of the map, emphasizes its role as a community research project. “It helps us see patterns and hotspots, like the El Super grocery store on Tucson’s south side, which ICE frequently targets,” Meyer explains. The map also highlights police and detention facilities and flight paths of federal surveillance aircraft, providing a comprehensive view of enforcement infrastructure.

Hundreds of volunteers have contributed to the database underpinning the map, with observers like Steven Davis risking pepper spray and other hazards to document incidents. “By making this activity visible, we take it out of the shadows and into the public eye,” Davis says. The team rigorously vets reports to ensure accuracy, but acknowledges the map is likely an undercount of total enforcement.

The Tucson Migra Map follows earlier efforts like People Over Papers and ICEBlock, which were shut down under administration pressure citing officer safety concerns. Meyer hopes constitutional free speech protections will safeguard this new project and inspire similar initiatives nationwide.

Unlike real-time alert systems, the Migra Map reports enforcement actions after the fact, serving as a critical accountability tool rather than a warning system. As federal immigration raids intensify, Tucson’s community-driven mapping effort stands as a vital act of resistance — shining light on the authoritarian tactics tearing families apart.