Makers Fight Back Against ICE
▼ Summary
– Anxious residents are mobilizing and using DIY tools, like 3D-printed whistles, to build community resilience against expanded ICE enforcement.
– Makers in hacker spaces are creating various protest gadgets, including camera mounts, networking gear, and eye washers for chemical irritants.
– Hacker spaces are community workshops providing tools and serving as meeting points for tinkerers to collaborate on these projects.
– These spaces also host community readiness meetings and fix-it clinics to repair tech damaged during protests or ICE raids.
– People are utilizing off-grid communication networks, like Meshtastic, to monitor and communicate about ICE movements without relying on standard internet or cell service.
Across the United States, a grassroots movement is emerging as communities leverage technology and ingenuity to protect themselves. In response to expanding immigration enforcement operations, people are turning to local workshops and their own skills to create practical tools for safety and documentation. This wave of citizen-led innovation highlights a growing trend of self-reliance and community defense in the face of government actions.
Nationwide, individuals are producing thousands of 3D-printed whistles. These simple devices allow people to quickly alert others to the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers nearby. However, the response extends far beyond whistles. Protesters and activists are designing and assembling a diverse range of gadgets, including specialized camera mounts, portable networking equipment, and handheld devices to rinse away chemical irritants like pepper spray. Much of this work originates in community hacker spaces, also known as maker spaces.
These collaborative workshops serve as hubs for creativity and resistance. Equipped with tools like 3D printers, laser cutters, and electronics workbenches, they provide the resources for building both digital and physical projects. More importantly, they function as gathering points for people to share knowledge and coordinate efforts. A simple online search can help locate one of these community centers in most areas.
The atmosphere within these spaces is charged with concern. “There is a constant level of inherent stress and anxiety,” shared B, a Midwest-based maker who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation. “There’s a base level of concern that will not go away for the foreseeable future.” This sentiment has intensified following recent high-profile enforcement actions, such as Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, which resulted in fatalities and widespread disruption. Although a withdrawal of some federal forces from the state was announced, the long-term plan remains unclear, and ICE continues to expand its infrastructure secretly across the country.
In this climate, maker spaces are becoming essential for community resilience. Volunteers are not only producing whistles but also fabricating items like 3D-printed tourniquets and wearable body camera mounts that allow observers to document interactions hands-free. These locations also host preparedness meetings and “fix-it” clinics where people can repair technology damaged during protests or in home raids. The focus is on practical, accessible resistance. “Anybody can 3D-print a whistle. Anybody can fix a door or laser-cut stencils,” noted another anonymous maker.
Communities are also adopting established technologies for secure communication. Projects like Meshtastic utilize low-power, off-grid mesh networks built from small routers. These devices, which can be placed on rooftops or in trees, create independent networks for sending text messages without relying on the internet or cellular towers. While not impervious to surveillance, anyone with a channel password can see messages, this system provides a valuable tool for monitoring and reporting ICE movements discreetly. Enthusiasts can purchase and modify routers online or build their own units from scratch.
(Source: Wired)
