President Donald Trump has vowed to conduct raids with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in major U.S. cities, however, Phoenix-area activist groups say they couldn’t confirm recent viral online videos.
“I don’t want to say when but it’s going to happen, has to happen or we’re not going to have a country left,” President Trump said while speaking to reporters las week, confirming plans for ICE raids.
This information spurred multiple viral videos claiming large ICE operations across Phoenix.
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Multiple community activist groups, including LUCHA, have come together to monitor raid tips, verify events, and provide information and resources to affected communities.
“We have been doing a lot of work to see and verify if that really is what’s happening. Thankfully it’s not,” LUCHA Organizing Director Gina Mendez said. “It’s actually creating a lot more harm because we need to make sure that whatever is being posted - that there’s something legit behind it. We don’t want to create more chaos.”
Mendez said while the coalition has not confirmed any of the reports in recent days, she understands community concerns.
“It’s heavy. I have family members who are undocumented and so much is going through their minds,” Mendez said.
Her team is canvassing neighborhoods and passing out flyers with information on a person’s rights when being questioned.
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The last time Phoenix saw large-scale immigration raids was over a decade ago, under then-Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Law enforcement sources tell ABC15 that the current sheriff’s office is not involved in any ICE raids at the moment. Earlier this month, Sheriff Jerry Sheridan said he would “help the federal government as long as it's constitutional and lawful."
This story was originally published by Lillian Donahue at Scripps News Phoenix.
