In an era where state violence is increasingly normalized and sanitized by mainstream media, grassroots documentation projects become essential tools for accountability and resistance. Crimes of ICE represents such a project—a community-driven archive exposing the brutal realities of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
The Power of Documentation
The project operates on a simple but powerful premise: collect, preserve, and make publicly accessible video and documentary evidence of ICE’s actions. What emerges is a stark counter-narrative to official government statements. The archive reveals a pattern of violence that includes:
- Brutal physical assaults during arrests
- Abductions of U.S. citizens
- Family separations at schools
- Excessive use of force against unarmed individuals
- Theft of personal property during enforcement actions
Each piece of evidence is timestamped, sourced, and made available for download—creating a permanent, decentralized record that cannot be easily erased or controlled by state authorities.
Why This Matters
State institutions rely on information asymmetry to maintain power. When violence occurs behind closed doors, in unmarked vehicles, or in communities with limited media access, it becomes easier to deny, minimize, or justify. Documentation disrupts this dynamic.
By making evidence publicly accessible, projects like Crimes of ICE serve multiple critical functions:
Accountability: Creating an indelible record that can be used in legal challenges, investigations, and advocacy efforts.
Transparency: Countering official narratives with direct evidence of what actually occurs during ICE operations.
Solidarity: Providing communities targeted by immigration enforcement with proof that their experiences are neither isolated nor exaggerated.
Historical Record: Preserving evidence for future generations to understand this period of state violence.
Supporting the Project
The Crimes of ICE project accepts video and document submissions from anyone who witnesses ICE operations. By contributing footage, individuals participate in collective resistance and help build the evidentiary foundation for future accountability efforts.
In a world where state violence often operates in shadows, turning on a camera becomes an act of defiance. Sharing that footage becomes an act of solidarity. Preserving it becomes an act of resistance.
The project reminds us that documentation is not passive observation—it is active participation in the struggle for justice and accountability.
Visit crimesofice.org or the onion mirror ice7fl7ycodmekhrch5wkclblrbbpjctvdniikzs5gfatnk6pgseilqd.onion to view the archive, submit documentation, or support the project’s development.