Digital Safety
How to protect yourself and your family from surveillance online and on social media
2026 Warning: There has been a rise in cases of ordinary citizens recording immigrants on video and posting to TikTok, Facebook, Nextdoor with the intent to report them to ICE. Be extremely careful on social media.
How Social Media is Used Against Immigrants
This is not a conspiracy theory — these are real cases happening every day in 2026
People film workers, neighbors, passersby and post with hashtags #ICE #deportation. Videos get thousands of views and often lead to raids.
Examples:
- •Videos of workers at construction sites
- •Filming in grocery stores
- •Recording conversations on the street
Photos and posts with geotags show where you live, work, where you take your children. This information is used to plan raids.
Examples:
- •Photos tagged with workplace
- •Check-ins at restaurants/stores
- •Geotags on children's photos
In neighborhood groups, residents report 'suspicious' neighbors, share addresses and license plates.
Examples:
- •Complaints about 'too many people in the house'
- •Photos of license plates
- •Discussions about neighbors
Groups of 'patriots' coordinate surveillance of immigrants. Your public posts can be used against you.
Examples:
- •Public profiles with family photos
- •Workplace information
- •Posts about document status
Home security cameras record all passersby. Recordings are posted in groups and shared with police.
Examples:
- •Ring doorbell cameras
- •Recordings from neighbor cameras
- •Parking lot videos
"Immigrant Hunters" — A Real Threat in 2026
Groups of citizens are organized to track immigrants, record videos, and report data to ICE. They operate in stores, parking lots, near schools and churches.
How They Act:
- • Record videos in public places
- • Write down license plates
- • Monitor specific addresses
- • Post on social media
Your Rights:
- • You can walk away from them
- • You don't have to answer questions
- • You can cover your face
- • Don't give them a reason for conflict
What to do if you're being filmed:
✓ Do This
- • Stay calm
- • Turn away from the camera
- • Cover your face with hand or clothing
- • Walk away silently in another direction
- • Go into a store or another building
- • Call family and tell them where you are
✗ Don't Do This
- • Don't argue
- • Don't try to grab the phone
- • Don't threaten or yell
- • Don't show documents
- • Don't answer questions
- • Don't run — it attracts attention
How to Protect Yourself Online
Follow these recommendations to minimize risks
- 1.Make all accounts private
- 2.Remove real name and photo
- 3.Don't list workplace
- 4.Check privacy settings
- 1.Turn off GPS when not needed
- 2.Don't add geotags to photos
- 3.Disable Google location history
- 4.Don't check in on social media
- 1.Delete workplace photos
- 2.Delete posts about documents/status
- 3.Remove children's photos from public access
- 4.Clear location history
- 1.Remove strangers
- 2.Don't accept unknown requests
- 3.Check who sees your posts
- 4.Limit tags from others
- 1.Don't post in real time
- 2.Post photos with delay
- 3.Don't show daily route
- 4.Avoid same locations in photos
- 1.Set strong password (not 1234)
- 2.Enable data encryption
- 3.Set up quick data deletion
- 4.Know how to quickly log out