Milwaukee Immigrant Rights Group Warns About False ICE Rumors on Social Media

An immigrant rights organization says it quickly debunks claims of increased ICE activity in the area.

Jan. 27, 2026 at 8:07pm

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The latest false rumor spreading across social media claims ICE agents booked about 100 rooms at a Milwaukee hotel. An immigrant rights group says it quickly debunked that claim, as they have with countless others. The group, Voces de la Frontera, monitors ICE activity through a statewide hotline and has 2,000 volunteers trained to verify whether ICE is truly where tipsters report.

Why it matters

Unverified and untrue posts about local ICE raids circulating on social media can stoke fear among Milwaukee's immigrant community. The immigrant rights group is working to combat the spread of misinformation and ensure that information about ICE activity is accurate.

The details

Christina Newman-Ortiz, the executive director of Voces de la Frontera, says the group gets about 300 calls a day to their hotline for alleged ICE sightings, which has spiked to 800 a day after a recent ICE shooting in Minneapolis. However, the group says only a small percentage of those tips are actually factual. They work quickly to debunk false claims, such as the recent rumor about ICE booking 100 rooms at a Milwaukee hotel.

  • The latest false rumor began circulating on social media in recent days.

The players

Voces de la Frontera

An immigrant rights advocacy group pushing back against misinformation about local ICE activity.

Christina Newman-Ortiz

The executive director of Voces de la Frontera.

Michael Mirer

A communication studies professor at UW-Milwaukee who teaches media literacy.

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What they’re saying

“Whether you're doing this for money or a prank — that you really need to stop and reflect on what's happening in our country right now. It's irresponsible, and we all have a stake in our future.”

— Christina Newman-Ortiz, Executive Director, Voces de la Frontera

“The internet is maybe the greatest rumor dispersal device we've ever created as a human species.”

— Michael Mirer, Communication Studies Professor, UW-Milwaukee

“The question that people should ask themselves is, 'How can I confirm this?' If you hear something and type it into a search engine and a news story does not pop up, that's a good sign that it's not necessarily confirmed information.”

— Michael Mirer, Communication Studies Professor, UW-Milwaukee

What’s next

Voces de la Frontera plans to continue monitoring ICE activity through their statewide hotline and working to quickly debunk any false rumors or claims about increased ICE presence in the Milwaukee area.

The takeaway

The spread of unverified and untrue social media posts about local ICE activity can create fear and panic within immigrant communities. Organizations like Voces de la Frontera play a crucial role in combating misinformation and ensuring that information about ICE presence is accurate.