Latino Rebels Launches MigraMap to Track Deportations
Alternative news outlet and social commentary site, Latino Rebels, launched a crowdsourcing initiative to track ICE deportation raids on Monday.
The new data tool known as MigraMap is described as a "social media platform and global positioning system" that will allow users to digitally pinpoint the sites where ICE raids have occurred.
The campaign encourages the community to submit self-reports of raids, upon which the data is fact checked and added to a color-coded map for reference. The tool also allows users to post their own personal stories and accounts.
"We've taken a bold approach to our community equity building initiatives, by creating our own grassroots dataset campaign to help ICE raids' targets. We shouldn't depend on other platforms to inform us when and where these ICE raids occurred," Latino Rebels CEO Marlena Fitzpatrick said in a statement on their website.
"At the same time, we're fostering self-expression and allowing our community to tell their own stories. The community has the power to inform other constituents by using this tool."
The campaign was launched on Monday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. and aims to give a spotlight and a voice to undocumented Americans and those who fight on their behalf.
The initiative comes at a time when the Obama administration has decided to target undocumented immigrants with greater intensity.
According to the Washington Post, the Department of Homeland Security has planned a series of raids throughout January, aiming to deport families who have entered the country since the start of 2015. Central American immigrants from countries such as Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are the primary targets in this campaign.
Last week, over 140 members of Congress signed and published a letter to the president, calling for an end to the deportation raids.
"The brutality of violence in Central America is undeniable, and yet this administration has failed to provide a comprehensive refugee solution for those seeking international refugee protection," the letter read.
Lawmakers called for a comprehensive alternative to the deportations, including refugee screening and resettlement, or relocation to international safe havens.