ICE App Launches in NY, Spreads Across Country
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK / ACCESS Newswire / July 22, 2025 / Coquí, a groundbreaking mobile app built by and for immigrant communities, has officially launched. Developed in partnership with Rapid Response Networks nationwide, the free app enables verified users to send and receive real-time alerts about nearby immigration enforcement activity.
During a recent CBS interview, ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan claimed concerns that Coquí "can cause users to go and cause violence." The backlash was immediate. Advocates, legal experts, and Coquí users swiftly condemned the remarks as inflammatory and baseless. Fact check: there is no evidence that Coquí has ever been used for incitement or interference of any kind.
"When fear wins, they win," said the founder of Coquí. "If you love this country and its people, standing up for your neighbors isn't a threat - it's a duty."
Named after the small but resilient Puerto Rican tree frog, Coquí is rooted in community strength and designed with safety in mind. As part of its ongoing rollout, the Coquí team announced two new features launching this week:
Coquí Communities will allow users to create, manage, and join trusted private groups within the app.Coquí Allies will pin local businesses on the map, highlighting "safe spots" and those standing in solidarity with immigrant communities.
The app is encrypted, collects no personal data, masks user locations, and employs anti-trolling protocols to protect users.
"You have a choice," said the founder of Coquí. "Stand with us."
ABOUT COQUICoquí is a secure, anonymous mobile app designed to help immigrant communities share and receive real-time information about immigration enforcement activity. Built by grassroots organizers, technologists, and advocates, Coquí supports safety, solidarity, and resistance through smart, community-first technology.
Learn more at GETCOQUI.COM
Related Video
SOURCE: Coqui
Related Images
press release
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Mayor Adams seeks inspection of ICE holding facility in Manhattan amid Trump immigration crackdown
NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams has asked the federal General Services Administration to immediately inspect the 10th floor of 26 Federal Plaza amid outrage over accounts of inhumane treatment in ICE's detention of asylum-seekers. Adams cited news reports and recent footage of the site, showing people in squalid conditions sleeping on emergency aluminum blankets near toilets, which has cast doubt on claims by the Department of Homeland Security that the facility is being used as a short-term processing center and not a de facto jail. The issue has become more acute as ICE escalates its campaign to detain and deport migrants amid a Trump administration crackdown. DHS has made the distinction between processing and detention in explaining why it has barred members of Congress from inspecting the facility. The mayor referenced publicly available data showing people have been detained at 26 Federal Plaza on average for more than four days at a time as of mid-June. 'The lack of clarity and transparency surrounding the facility's current use raises serious concerns,' reads the mayor's letter to Michael Rigas, the acting administrator of GSA, which manages federally owned and leased properties. 'New York City has a strong interest in ensuring that basic human rights are being respected anywhere in its jurisdiction, and therefore are seeking your cooperation in conducting an inspection of the 10th Floor of 26 Federal Plaza to ensure it is compliant with the Constitution and federal law.' DHS refused elected officials, including New York Democratic Reps. Adriano Espaillat and Nydia Velázquez, access to the 10th floor last month, claiming it wasn't a detention center. Footage captured inside the facility released by advocates this week shows more than two dozen people in a cramped, windowless room, sleeping on makeshift beds and appearing to wear the clothes they were detained in. The New York Immigration Coalition, the civic group that obtained the videos taken by a constituent of Assembly member Catalina Cruz, says the footage backs up accounts of people being detained in unbearable heat without access to medication, showers, proper meals and other necessities. In a statement to the Daily News, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin doubled down on claims that there is no detention facility but a 'processing center where illegal aliens are briefly processed to be transferred to an ICE detention facility,' while also acknowledging a need for help from state and local governments in securing beds and detention space capacity. 'Any claim that there is overcrowding or subprime conditions at ICE facilities are categorically false. All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers,' McLaughlin said. 'As we arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens and public safety threats from the U.S., ICE has worked diligently to obtain greater necessary detention space while avoiding overcrowding. Secretary (Kristi) Noem has called on states and local government to help with bed and detention space capacity.' The majority of those detained at 26 Federal Plaza since May have not been accused of a crime, according to an analysis by The City. Agents for Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been detaining migrants turning up to their court dates to formally apply for asylum, in many cases, moments after immigration judges had indicated they were safe in the country for the foreseeable future, the Daily News has reported. The nature of the arrests has prompted criticism that immigration authorities are luring migrants to the building as a trap and targeting the lowest hanging fruit to fulfill Trump's mass deportation agenda. _____
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
NYC Comptroller Brad Lander shockingly suggests Mayor Eric Adams is ‘in the Epstein files,' drawing furious response from City Hall: ‘Defamatory filth'
City Comptroller Brad Lander shockingly suggested that Mayor Eric Adams is in government files related to notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein — drawing a furious response from City Hall Thursday. Lander's evidence-free jibe unfolded during an NY1 interview Wednesday evening focused on conditions in 26 Federal Plaza, where advocates have complained about 'inhumane treatment' at an ICE facility. Noting that Adams, who has generally been reticent to criticize President Trump, joined the uproar, Lander appeared to speculate as to why. 'I have heard some people say maybe the mayor is in the Epstein files and he's just trying to distract,' Lander said with a smirk. 4 City Comptroller Brad Lander suggested that Eric Adams is in the Epstein files Thursday. Adam Gray for New York Post 4 An Adams spokeswoman called Lander's comments 'defamatory filth.' William Farrington Lander's out-of-nowhere jibe drew a howl of disbelief from NY1 host Errol Louis. 'If you've got evidence, I'm sure you'll bring it forward,' Louis dared. The stunning non sequitur drew an angry retort from City Hall spokeswoman Kayla Mamelak, who lambasted Lander in harsh terms. 'This defamatory filth is a pathetic comment from a pathetic man and exposes Brad Lander for what he is: a desperate politician whose entire relevance revolves around smearing Mayor Adams,' Mamelak said in a statement. 'The mayor will continue to deliver for New Yorkers and do what he and most people in this city usually do — ignore Brad Lander — but the comptroller should immediately and emphatically apologize to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, whom Brad Lander has no problem re-victimizing and making a punchline.' 4 Government files related to Jeffrey Epstein remain a hot-button issue. vmodica 4 President Trump, a one-time friend of Epstein's, is facing a political firestorm over his administration's decision not to release Epstein files. Getty Images Trump, Republicans and the wider MAGA movement have been in an internal conflict over the release of the 'Epstein files,' a grab-bag term for government records related to the sexual predator. The president, a one-time friend of Epstein, has shocked many of his supporters by dismissing concerns and interest in the case after his Attorney General Pam Bondi decided to limit further disclosures. 'I don't understand what the interest or what the fascination is — I really don't,' Trump said of Epstein, who was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in 2019, while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. Democrats such as Lander, who recently was arrested while vocally protesting masked ICE agents hauling away an immigrant, have seized upon the uproar as a cudgel against Trump. Lander has also been a persistent thorn in Adams' side, mounting a failed bid for the Democratic mayoral nomination and teaming up with socialist Zohran Mamdani, the ultimate winner of the primary and Hizzoner's main opponent in the November general election. When asked for further comment on the Epstein diss, Lander's team brushed off his taunt. 'Obviously, the comptroller was joking,' said a comptroller spokesperson.
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Trump Admin's Deportation Figures Track Below Obama's—New Data
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. New data reveals that deportation figures under the Trump administration are currently tracking below those recorded during President Obama's tenure. Why It Matters President Donald Trump pledged to supporters that his administration would remove millions of individuals living in the U.S. without legal status. His term has seen an increase in widespread immigration raids, a halt to asylum processing for undocumented migrants, and executive orders aimed at expanding the authority of ICE to detain those in the country illegally. The administration has been ramping up pressure on federal agents to increase arrest and removal figures. Former President Barack Obama talks with President-elect Donald Trump before the state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. Former President Barack Obama talks with President-elect Donald Trump before the state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. Jacquelyn Martin/AP What To Know U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recorded nearly 150,000 deportations, averaging over 800 per day, according to CBS News. If this rate continues, the agency is on track to carry out more than 300,000 removals during the president's first year back in office. During Obama's administration, DHS deported approximately 2.8 million individuals. Deportations increased steadily during the president's first term, starting with 389,843 removals in 2009 and peaking at 435,498 in 2013. Deportations declined after 2013, falling to 240,255 by 2016—the lowest annual total of his presidency. ICE isn't the only federal agency involved in deportations. In the first six months of Trump's presidency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recorded over 112,000 deportations, according to government data obtained by CBS News. These included migrants who were apprehended after crossing the southern border illegally. While deportations have risen again under Trump, they have yet to surpass Obama's peak levels. More than 300,000 ICE deportations in a year would still fall well below the Trump administration's stated goal of reaching 1 million removals annually. With the administration still early in its term, factors like detention capacity and bed spaces may limit increases. ICE's deportation efforts could grow substantially over the next six months, following a major increase in funding provided through President Trump's recently passed "One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB). Under the OBBB, ICE is set to receive $45 billion to expand detention capacity to nearly 100,000 beds, $14 billion to support transportation and removal operations, and $8 billion to hire 10,000 additional deportation officers. Scott Mechkowski, a retired ICE agent, told Newsweek that achieving 1 million removals is "theoretically possible but highly challenging and doubtful." "A more feasible outcome is 500,000–600,000 total removals, a significant increase but still short of 1 million. Over a longer term, two years with infrastructure and staffing fully scaled, the goal becomes more attainable if political and legal conditions remain favorable," Mechkowski said. What People Are Saying Mechkowski, told Newsweek: "ICE needs to hire, train, and field new agents." John Sandweg, who was acting director of ICE under President Barack Obama, from August 2013 to February 2014, said, "This current administration is chaotic. It's moving at breakneck speeds. They're under tremendous pressure. "When you have your officers and agents focused on grabbing as many people as you can. What you're doing is you're diverting the resources that could be focused on those more serious criminal populations, the real problem here."
