In response to an increase in ICE operations across Suffolk County, Long Island, a new app, developed by the local grassroots group Islip Forward, is providing residents with real-time alerts to federal immigration agents' sightings. Ahmad Perez, the founder of Islip Forward, describes the app as a much-needed service for the community. "That will send a push notification as soon as we verify an ICE sighting in the community," Perez said in a statement obtained by CBS News New York.
Since its inception in January, the ICE Tracker app has been used more than 60,000 times, indicating a palpable level of concern among residents. Perez highlighted the urgency of the issue, "The folks who are going shopping, getting groceries, going to Target, that's enough time for them to consider going back home and protecting themselves and their family," he explained to CBS News New York. Concerns peaked after recent incidents where ICE agents were reported near local businesses and even schools in areas such as Brentwood and Huntington.
One recent case involved Elzon Lemus, a 23-year-old from Brentwood, who claims he was targeted because of his ethnicity. He was apprehended by ICE agents in an incident that has heightened concerns within the Hispanic community. This information comes according to a report by PIX11, which outlines the situations where residents have found the ICE Tracker app to be indispensable.
In response to reports of ICE activities, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman has acknowledged community worries by stating, "I think I just made it clear. The program is not intended to go into schools unless there’s a danger. If there’s a danger, I would support our police officers going into the school first, but they are not going into schools. We have talked to them. They are not asking witnesses or victims of crime for their immigration status," as he told PIX11. The closeness of ICE operations to schools like Park Avenue Elementary in Westbury—located just a block from where an agent was involved in a motor vehicle accident—has increased residents' concerns.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, on the other hand, has not commented on the app that tracks its agents. The agency, known for its reliance on sophisticated technology like the SmartLINK app introduced in 2018, remains silent on the community initiative aimed at keeping citizens informed about its whereabouts and activities.
