An interactive journey through facts, real stories, history, and your constitutional rights. Learn the truth, bust the myths, and know what to do.
ICE — Immigration and Customs Enforcement — was created on March 1, 2003, as part of the massive government reorganization after 9/11. It's only been around since 2003 — it's not some longstanding American institution.
ERO (Enforcement and Removal Operations) — Arrests, detains, and deports people. This is the division that conducts raids and manages detention centers.
HSI (Homeland Security Investigations) — Investigates transnational crime, trafficking, and cybercrime. Has 8,700+ employees and offices in 93 countries.
ICE is younger than Mean Girls (2004). Seriously. The agency was created one year before Regina George asked "Why are you so obsessed with me?" Your parents remember life before ICE existed.
ICE was originally focused on national security threats after 9/11. Over time, its enforcement priorities expanded dramatically to include people with no criminal record at all.
In January 2025, the Trump administration rescinded the sensitive locations policy, allowing ICE enforcement at schools, churches, hospitals, and courthouses — places previously considered off-limits.
In Descendants, the kids on the Isle of the Lost are punished for who their parents are — not for anything they did. ICE's scope creep works the same way: it started targeting security threats but now goes after people whose only "crime" is existing.
Politicians say ICE is keeping us safe by going after "dangerous criminals." But the data tells a completely different story.
Despite receiving $170 billion in funding, ICE failed to increase arrests of violent criminals. The money went toward arresting more parents, workers, and community members with no criminal history.
These are documented, real cases. Every person here has a name, a family, and a story.
Every generation thinks "it can't happen here." It already has — multiple times.
The first law to restrict immigration based on race/nationality. Banned all Chinese laborers and denied Chinese residents the ability to become citizens. Not repealed until 1943.
A ship carrying 937 Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany was turned away by Cuba, the United States, and Canada. The passengers were forced to return to Europe. 254 of them were killed in the Holocaust.
Executive Order 9066 forced 122,000 Japanese Americans (including U.S. citizens) into internment camps. The legal basis? The Alien Enemies Act of 1798 — the same law invoked by the Trump administration in 2025.
The Eisenhower administration launched mass deportation raids. Methods included descending on Mexican American neighborhoods, demanding IDs from "Mexican-looking" citizens, and invading homes. U.S. citizens and legal residents were also deported. California formally apologized in 2012.
Mal and her friends are locked on the Isle of the Lost because of who their PARENTS are. Japanese Americans — including kids born in the U.S. — were locked in camps for who their parents were. Same energy, real consequences.
"Do you get déjà vu?" History literally keeps saying the same lines: target a group, lock them up, apologize 40 years later, repeat. Every generation thinks "it can't happen here" — and every generation is wrong.
Click a historical event, then click its modern parallel.
The Constitution says "person" — not "citizen." These rights apply to everyone on U.S. soil.
ICE agents generally need a judicial warrant (signed by a judge) to enter a home. An administrative warrant (Form I-200) signed by an ICE supervisor is NOT sufficient.
DHS's own Legal Training Manual acknowledges that entering a home without a judicial warrant is "typically a violation of the Fourth Amendment."
No person shall be "deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." This applies to all people in the U.S., including undocumented immigrants.
Wong Wing v. United States (1896): The Supreme Court held that ALL persons within U.S. territory are entitled to these protections.
No state shall "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
Plyler v. Doe (1982): The Supreme Court ruled that undocumented children have the right to free public education, stating: "Whatever his status under the immigration laws, an alien is a 'person' in any ordinary sense of that term."
Sharpay tries to gatekeep who "belongs" on stage. But Troy and Gabriella prove the stage belongs to EVERYONE. The Constitution works the same way — rights belong to every person, not just the "right" people. Don't stick to the status quo. 🎶
No. Being in the U.S. without documentation is a civil violation, not a criminal offense. It's legally similar to a traffic ticket or overstaying a parking meter — not a felony, not a misdemeanor.
This matters because politicians often say "illegal" to make it sound like a serious crime. In reality, most undocumented people committed no crime — they overstayed a visa, which is a civil matter handled in immigration court (which isn't even a real court — there's no jury, no public defender).
When Cady gets blamed for the Burn Book, the whole school treats her like a criminal — but she didn't actually do anything illegal. That's what happens when you call undocumented people "criminals" — the label makes people think the worst, but the reality is way more complicated than the label.
When a child is born in your country, do their parents get to stay? Tap each country to find out.
Real scenarios based on ICE actions. You decide.
Maddie fights for the truth even when the system is working against her and nobody believes her. Knowing your rights is your version of Maddie's investigation — don't let anyone tell you that you don't deserve answers or due process. 🔎
Tap each card to flip it and reveal the truth.
Economists overwhelmingly agree immigrants create more jobs than they take. They raise average wages of U.S.-born workers by 0.1–0.6%. Immigrants start businesses at higher rates than native-born Americans.
Source: Brookings Institution, Northwestern/Kellogg
Undocumented immigrants paid $96.7 billion in taxes in 2022 ($59.4B federal + $37.3B state/local). They paid $13 billion into Social Security in 2016 alone — benefits they can NEVER collect.
Source: ITEP, Social Security Administration
Studies consistently show immigrants commit fewer crimes. Incarceration rate: U.S. citizens 1.2% vs undocumented immigrants 0.6% (half the rate). Immigrants are 50% less likely to be arrested for violent crimes.
Source: Cato Institute, PNAS (2020)
The wait for a green card from Mexico (siblings category) is 24+ years. For many people, there is NO legal pathway at all. Family-sponsored visas are capped at 226,000/year with a 7% per-country limit.
Source: Cato Institute, USCIS Visa Bulletin
Michel is an immigrant who literally RUNS the Dragonfly Inn. Sookie can't function without him. Lane Kim's mom immigrated from Korea and built a life. That's the real story of immigration — immigrants don't take jobs, they make the whole operation work. 🍴
More myths to bust! Tap each card to flip it.
73% of ICE detainees have no criminal conviction at all. Only 5% have a violent conviction. In 2025, ~75,000 people arrested had no criminal record — over 1/3 of all arrests.
Source: Cato Institute, NPR, Brennan Center
Protesting government overreach is one of the most American things you can do — it's literally the 1st Amendment. A federal judge found DHS "regularly and systematically targeted non-violent civilians and members of the press exercising First Amendment rights."
Source: House Judiciary Democrats report
In 2025, people who DID do it the legal way had their naturalization ceremonies cancelled, green card interviews turned into arrest traps, and DACA protections ignored. 38 people were turned away from becoming citizens in a single ceremony. 261 DACA recipients were arrested despite legal status.
Source: CBS News, TIME, GBH News
What do supporters say? And what do the facts show? Tap each to expand.
Unauthorized entry is a civil violation, not a criminal felony — similar to a traffic ticket. More importantly, the Constitution guarantees due process to ALL persons. Enforcement that violates constitutional rights, deports U.S. citizens, separates families without tracking children, and ignores court orders is not "enforcing the law" — it's violating it.
A federal court documented 210 instances of ICE violating court orders. One judge said ICE "has likely violated more court orders in January of 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence."
Undocumented immigrants paid $96.7 billion in taxes in 2022 while being ineligible for most federal benefits including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, and federal financial aid.
The San Francisco Federal Reserve found immigrants help reduce labor market tightness. Economists at Northwestern/Kellogg found immigrants create more jobs than they take, growing the overall economic pie. Immigrants start businesses at higher rates than native-born Americans.
Border security is a legitimate concern. But the data shows immigrants commit fewer crimes than native-born Americans (incarceration rate: 0.6% vs 1.2%). A Cato study found immigrants are 44.5% less likely to be victims of violent crimes, meaning immigrant communities are actually safer.
The question isn't whether to have borders — it's whether enforcement should violate constitutional rights, separate families, deport people with legal protections, and target people with no criminal record (73% of detainees). You can have border security AND respect human rights.
Federal courts documented 96 court orders that ICE violated in 74 cases in Minnesota alone. The administration used a wartime law (Alien Enemies Act of 1798) to deport people — the 5th Circuit ruled this unconstitutional. ICE made warrantless arrests in violation of settlement agreements.
"Just doing their job" is not a legal or moral defense when the job involves violating court orders and constitutional rights. An impeachment resolution (H.Res.996) was introduced against Noem, and she was removed as DHS Secretary following the Minnesota incidents. A federal judge found DHS systematically targeted the press and non-violent civilians.
Remember when everyone believed the Burn Book without checking if any of it was true? That's what myths about immigration are — a Burn Book full of made-up stuff that sounds real because everyone keeps repeating it. Don't be a sheep. Check the receipts. 📑
Navigate this scenario to learn what to do if ICE comes to your door.
Fights for constitutional rights in court. Files lawsuits against unconstitutional ICE actions.
aclu.org/immigrants-rightsProvides research, policy analysis, and legal resources on immigration issues.
americanimmigrationcouncil.orgLargest immigrant youth-led organization. Advocacy, support, and community.
unitedwedream.orgTaylor stayed silent for years, then started speaking up and everything changed. Olivia uses her platform for voter registration and reproductive rights at every tour stop. You don't have to be famous — just informed and willing to say something. 💫
Test everything you've learned!