Creator of ICE Tracker Receives Activist-Scholar Award

AJ Kim's interactive tool provides information on ICE detention locations and resources for impacted communities.

Published on Mar. 4, 2026

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AJ Kim, an associate professor at San Diego State University, has been selected to receive the 2026 Marilyn J. Gittell Activist Scholar Award co-sponsored by Sage and the Urban Affairs Association. Kim's work focuses on minoritized and diverse communities, and they created an interactive ICE Detention Tracker that provides information on detention locations and resources for those impacted by ICE activities.

Why it matters

The Gittell award highlights field-based urban scholarship that merges activism, scholarship, and community engagement. Kim's work on the ICE Detention Tracker exemplifies this approach, providing a valuable resource for immigrant rights and environmental justice organizations.

The details

The ICE Detention Tracker developed by Kim offers details on the locations and number of detainees, as well as additional resources for those impacted by ICE activities. Kim also directs the 'Geospatial Mapping for Alternative Health Assets' project funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and leads research teams for health equity with non-governmental partners nationwide.

  • The formal presentation of the Gittell award will be made at the International Conference on Urban Affairs in Chicago, Illinois in late April 2026.
  • Kim has worked with immigrant rights and environmental justice organizations nationally and internationally for more than 20 years.

The players

AJ Kim

An associate professor of city planning, with affiliations in the Graduate School of Public Health and LGBTQ+ Studies, at San Diego State University. Their work focuses on minoritized and diverse communities, and they created the interactive ICE Detention Tracker.

Marilyn J. Gittell

The late former director of the Howard Samuels Center and professor of political science at The Graduate School at City University of New York. Gittell was the founding editor of Urban Affairs Quarterly, now known as Urban Affairs Review.

Urban Affairs Association

The organization that presents the annual Gittell award, which highlights field-based urban scholarship and promotes the dissemination of work by activist urban scholars.

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What they’re saying

“The tracker provides information on the locations and number of detainees along with additional resources for those impacted by ICE activities.”

— AJ Kim, Associate Professor

What’s next

The formal presentation of the Gittell award will be made at the International Conference on Urban Affairs in Chicago, Illinois in late April 2026. The theme of this year's conference is 'No Little Plans: Realizing Urban Futures in Times of Crisis.'

The takeaway

Kim's work on the ICE Detention Tracker exemplifies the merging of activism, scholarship, and community engagement that the Gittell award aims to highlight. The tool provides a valuable resource for immigrant rights and environmental justice organizations, demonstrating the impact that activist-scholars can have in addressing the challenges faced by marginalized communities.