On social media, immigrants and their allies are working together to track ICE officers in real time.
NEW YORK — When Sheidriany Pomales was scrolling TikTok during a break from her job at a kindergarten, she came across a video that made her stomach sink. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were hanging around the entrance to the subway on 125th Street and Lexington — right next to where Pomales, her mother and many of their friends live.
She quickly exited the app and called her mom with a warning and a request that she pass the information along. Her mom used WhatsApp to reach out to undocumented friends and co-workers who made plans to take alternate routes to work or skip errands such as grocery shopping. Pomales made her own video about the alleged sighting on her go-to social platform, TikTok, using the algospeak code phrase “ice cream truck” instead of ICE or the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
Tiktoker calls to shoot at ICE agents if you see them. @FBI @FBIDirectorKash pic.twitter.com/sW7RAVGx22
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 30, 2025
