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A new app is enabling American citizens to earn crypto rewards for reporting criminals, including illegal immigrants — with a twist: udocumented migrants without criminal records can benefit from payouts from the app, the Trump administration seeks to ramp up the number of illegal immigrant arrests and deportations, third-party apps are springing up looking to help both migrants and federal agents, including ICERAID."ICERAID enables citizens to earn rewards in its RAID token, a reward system that delegates criminal evidence gathering and validation tasks across eight different categories of criminal activity that would otherwise be performed by government and law enforcement agencies," the team behind the app told Newsweek via is not the only app to have emerged since January 20, with SignalSafe launching specifically for migrants. It allows users to report Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in local communities."We've heard and seen countless stories of people adjusting their daily routines—such as covering tattoos or avoiding certain neighborhoods—out of fear of being misidentified or profiled," SignalSafe's developers told Newsweek on condition of anonymity. "Many users have said that SignalSafe gives them peace of mind and a sense of control during uncertain times."Since President Donald Trump's return to the White House nearly three months ago, over 113,000 migrants have been detained by ICE, while the administration claimed it had deported north of 100,000 people as of April 1. Experts who spoke to Newsweek expressed skepticism over that rate of removals has also not trended upwards at the rate the president, or his supporters, have wanted. While some local law enforcement have stepped up to help, private U.S. citizens are also looking to help with the effort to find and detain those without legal Is ICERAID?ICERAID is built on the idea that citizens can help with data gathering, such as crime and immigration law violations, and then be rewarded for their efforts with crypto, according to those who created the of the founders, Jason Meyers, said the platform GovFi , a decentralized blockchain platform for governments on which ICERAID is built, can "revolutionize the way governments operate" by offering incentives to residents for helping to effectively crowdsource tasks, rather than leaving them solely to traditional agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)."The functionality of the app makes a much better use case for crypto other than meme coins," the developers told Newsweek. "As a result, it may also suggest an unprecedented way to increase efficiencies in government agencies by facilitating a symbiotic relationship with citizens."The idea of hiring "bounty hunters" for illegal immigrants has been floated in some states, potentially offering cash rewards for those who help track down those wanted by ICE, but the use of technology and crypto in this way suggests a more modern far, only a handful of reports have been added to the app's map, which owners say uses AI to help verify sources and material before submitting to official agencies. Developers said there are ongoing conversations with various government agencies on its implementation, but they would not disclose is also the chance for those without legal status to benefit, if they have not broken any other laws while in the U.S. Pursuing legal status and notifying ICERAID could lead to a crypto payout, ICERAID is thought that upwards of 11 million people are in the U.S. without legal status, millions of whom have been in the country for decades. Many live in mixed-status households and have not committed any crimes."It was decided at the outset that rewards should be paid to undocumented migrants with no criminal record who come forward through a sponsorship program where they receive help to pursue legal status in the U.S. through various means including helping them retaining an immigration attorney," developers said."As you know, honest hard-working people are very nervous now and many have no options other than to return their country of origin which for many, is not an option for various reasons."What Is SignalSafe?Another crowd-sourced mapping app which has received far more reports since its launch is SignalSafe. It also uses photos, videos, and other information, often from anonymous sources, but users are alerting migrants to federal agent and local police activity rather than the other way ICE raids have ramped up, and awareness grew around immigration enforcement, reports sprung up on social media and on other apps concerns that these hindered services are hindering federal agents' people behind SignalSafe told Newsweek that they simply want to be a resource for immigrant communities, and they do not intend to hinder or interfere, adding that "obstructing operations or leaking unannounced or future activities is strictly prohibited on our platform".Reports on the app include potential plain-clothes agents or police officers parked together, along with clearly-marked Border Patrol or ICE vehicles. Developers say all of these sightings are out in the open, rather than reports of unverified rumors or confidential plans."However, SignalSafe goes beyond just ICE activity," developers said. "The platform allows community members to report any verified public safety concerns, from traffic stops to suspicious activity or emergencies. The purpose is to foster real-time awareness and empowerment—ensuring that people can stay informed and make decisions that protect themselves and others."While other reporting is allowed, the site does place a heavy emphasis on immigrants and their rights. Aside from the reporting map, there are resources on an individual's rights if stopped by ICE, links to nonprofit organizations, and what to do in different scenarios if stopped by federal law Government's Own Immigration AppsAt the same time, the federal government is using its own technology to track immigrants, both legal and illegal, as well as to facilitate of the largest private prison companies working with ICE, GEO Group, uses an app to verify the location of those without legal status not detained in its facilities, The New York Times monitors and smart watches are also aiding in the program known as Alternatives to Detention. The president has been critical of that program, but a limited capacity at ICE's detention facilities means releasing immigrants not seen as a threat to communities with a tracking device is one of the few available Group's technology is a money-maker for the company, the Times reported, with the federal government paying GEO $1 for every selfie sent in by an immigrant who needs to check in on a regular basis. The company also charges $3 per day for each smart watch Group declined to comment when approached by Newsweek, deferring to ICE instead. The agency did not respond to a request for comment before is also pushing immigrants in the country illegally to self-deport using an app it calls CBP Home. The Biden administration-era CBP Home app was repurposed with the feature allowing users to declare their intent to depart the U.S., and then provide evidence of having Customs and Border Protection (CBP) included the app in a monthly update for the first time on Monday, no figures were given on how many people had used the self-deport is also being used to scour social media accounts of migrants, to check for signs of terrorism or antisemitism, with DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin saying in a statement on April 9 that Secretary Kristi Noem "made it clear that anyone who thinks they can come to America and hide behind the First Amendment to advocate for anti-Semitic violence and terrorism – think again. You are not welcome here."Student visa holders have been one of the main targets for this operation so far, prompting concerns that immigrants will be stripped of their visas or deported without due process."Automated tools are error-prone and guaranteed to improperly categorize an unknown number of applicants' viewpoints as violent, terroristic, or antisemitic, even by the Administration's broad definitions of those terms," Kate Ruane, director of the Free Expression Project at the Center for Democracy & Technology, said in a statement shared with Newsweek."Their use for this purpose will have devastating effects on how free students feel to express their opinions in this country — for citizens and non-citizens alike. We can be sure the Administration is unlikely to stop here. The proverbial slope from seemingly reasonable uses of these technologies to unconstitutional and unjustifiably speech-suppressive uses is very slippery. That's why governments shouldn't start sliding down it to begin with."While the Trump administration is employing more advanced technology to aid in its immigration enforcement, the simultaneous rise of apps and social media efforts by the public reflects how strongly many feel about an issue which played such a pivotal role in the 2024 and SignalSafe alike make it clear that final decisions on immigration status are up to the government, while still advocating for stronger borders, and an increased awareness of law enforcement 's developers told Newsweek that they believe community involvement is foundational "to both accountability and safety", especially for immigrants who have not committed any crimes and should not need to fear law enforcement."It is also true that we believe that no one should be treated as a criminal solely for their immigration status, and families—especially those with U.S. citizen children—should not be separated without due process," SignalSafe's developers said. "Community reporting helps people look out for one another while affirming human dignity and lawful conduct."
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