Hear Something About An Immigration Raid? Here’s How To Safely Report It
*Why you should read this: Because many NewsTaco readers tell us that they’d like information on what they can do with the information we provide. Because this is a simple suggestion for using social media. VL
By Jon Campbell, The Village Voice (.45 minute read) 
The threats posed to immigrant communities by the Trump Administration are real and metastasizing daily, and people are understandably on high alert for whatever might be coming next. Some of that well-warranted vigilance is amplified on social media, where people trying to get the word out about Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities have sometimes jumped the gun and passed along unverified rumors.
Read more stories about immigration round-ups in NewsTaco. >>
The reports that emerged on Friday were quickly knocked down by the NYPD. “The police department does not check anybody’s green card. Period,” a spokesperson told the Voice.
Such unverified reports have been circulating occasionally on social media for weeks, says Fahd Ahmed, executive director of Desis Rising up and Moving [DRUM], an immigrant rights group based in New York.
Last week, DRUM released a list of guidelines for sharing reports online. The goal, according to Ahmed, is to better organize information sharing. “For our communities to be organized, our communication exchange also has to be organized,” he adds.
The guidelines are pretty simple; don’t pass along information unless you have first-hand confirmation. His group and others collect and investigate reports of raids or other action. The guidelines suggest referring information to organization equipped to verify them. If reports pop up on line that aren’t coming first hand, the group says, reply with the guidelines as a reminder to only share solid information.
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