Internet Sleuths Have Begun Mapping the Faces of ICE

From unmarked vans to viral posts, immigration enforcement just hit the open-source era.

WASHINGTON — A wave of controversy is sweeping immigrant advocacy communities as activists launch two coordinated online platforms aimed at exposing federal immigration enforcement operatives believed to be operating covertly on U.S. streets. The sites — ICESpy.org and ICEList.is— mirror each other in purpose: collecting publicly submitted photos and personal identifiers of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, many of them seen wearing face coverings, and presenting them in searchable directories.

Advocates say the websites, which went live in recent weeks, were created to restore transparency and accountability in cities where ICE agents have prompted what one Los Angeles mayor described as a “war zone” atmosphere. Community leaders and immigrants rights attorneys argue that masked enforcement officers, particularly during sudden raids, have exacerbated panic and fear in neighborhoods already rattled by aggressive ICE activity.

“ICE agents are terrorizing our community. Th…