Rice University students create ICE tracker as hundreds protest in Houston

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(The Center Square) – Rice University students in Houston have created an online tracker about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities nationwide. They did so as hundreds protested outside of an ICE detention facility in Houston.

The website includes an interactive map where users can click on detention facilities nationwide to access information. It also includes a news feed linking to articles about ICE operations and immigration related issues.

“We strongly believe that the American people should have full insight into the actions of its democratically-elected government,” the website states. “icemap.dev aims to provide a comprehensive view of the activities of America's Immigration Customs Agency (ICE), with specific focus on its Enforcement and Removal Operations department (ERO).”

The website “does not aim to hinder operations nor spark fear, but instead provide a lens with which the American people can observe. We collect zero individual user data, nor do we involve any user interaction to source the data for our analysis,” it states.

It was “built and maintained by two Rice University computer-science students,” it says, and is “a volunteer-run, open-source map that brings hidden ICE activity into the daylight.”

Rice University students Jack Vu and Abby Manuel used Media Cloud, an open-source media research project, that culls news and information, The Houston Chronicle reported.

The map is free and users can click on detention facilities by location and state. When clicking on facilities, links take users to information from inspection reports. For example, when clicking on the Joe Corley ICE Processing Center, located in Conroe Texas, in Montgomery County, a link cites a July 2018 inspection report about sanitation failures. 

A link to the Broward Transition Center in Florida cites a 2012 compliance inspection, which “revealed no documented findings or violations, suggesting adherence to established standards.” A link to the Alamance County Detention Facility in North Carolina states, a “September 2024 follow-up inspection found no violations, signaling sustained compliance at the facility – a marked improvement from past issues.”

“We’re not creating information. We’re just taking what’s out there and helping everyone be able to see it,” Manuel told the Chronicle. “No matter where you stand on immigration, we should be transparent about what is happening with our government, and people should know what’s happening in their neighborhoods, and just avoid the fear and uncertainty that comes from the unknown.” 

It also includes a live newsfeed linking to articles that “originate from both left and right-leaning news sources, and we do not see it our aim to ideologically favor certain sources over others. We recommend that the user perform their own due diligence to formulate an informed opinion on the events provided,” the website states.

The website was created ahead of hundreds of people protesting outside of an ICE Houston Processing Center on Friday. It’s located near George Bush Intercontinental Airport roughly 30 minutes north of downtown Houston. The Party for Socialism and Liberation claimed “thousands in Houston rallied and marched outside” the facility “as part of a nationwide shutdown against ICE.”

The protests were organized by a self-described “national shutdown” movement in protest of ICE advocating for “No work. No school. No shopping” on Friday, The Center Square reported.