People Over Papers: The ICE Watch Map, Explained

Most people land here after something goes wrong. The old Padlet link opens to nothing, or a relative forwards a map and nobody can say whether it’s the real one. When we searched for People Over Papers in October 2026, the official map and a copycat using the same name came up on the same page of results, so the confusion is easy to understand.

The short version: the real map is at iceout.org, it costs nothing, and you don’t need an account. The rest of this page covers where it came from, how to read what’s on it, how far to trust a single report, and the practical stuff, from staying anonymous to spotting fakes.

How the People Over Papers Map Works

Someone sees what looks like enforcement activity and files a short report saying where, when and what they saw. It shows up as a pin on the map and as an entry in the list, labelled with a category and a confirmation status. You can switch the map between individual pins and a heat map that shows where reports bunch up. Our guide to reading the crowdsourced ICE watch map walks through every label and filter.

Report types, and what “Not Confirmed” means

There are four categories: Critical, Active, Observed and Other. They roughly signal urgency, but the map’s own legend is the authority, so check it rather than relying on our summary.

Most entries are marked Not Confirmed. Of the 40 or so recent reports we scrolled through in October 2026, two were Confirmed. Not Confirmed means nobody has checked the report yet, not that it’s false, and neither label makes a report an official government record.

The filters most people miss

The list has more controls than you’d expect. By default it shows today; you can widen the date range, narrow it to your area, show a single category, or hide anything that isn’t confirmed. There’s also a checkbox labelled “Limit reports list to map,” which keeps the list matched to whatever part of the map is on your screen. On a phone, that one saves a lot of scrolling.

Submit a Community Report

Reports are filed on the official People Over Papers map. Check these four things, then continue.

Before submitting: use only a city, neighborhood or broad area. Don’t enter a street address or anything that identifies a private person.

What you saw I saw it myself, or I know who didWhen I know roughly when it happenedWhere I’ll give a general area only, like an intersection or businessPrivacy No names, faces, home addresses or license platesContinue to the official map →

Nothing is sent from this page. Your report is submitted on iceout.org, the official People Over Papers map.

Where Is the People Over Papers Map Now?

At iceout.org. Padlet, the bulletin-board service that hosted the first version, removed the map in October 2025. The team had already been building its own site and had the map running again within hours, according to MIT Technology Review. For the full background, see what iceout.org is and how it connects to People Over Papers.

We opened iceout.org in October 2026 to see it for ourselves. Before anything loads there’s a short “Verifying…” screen, which is a bot check and nothing to worry about. Then the map appears with a list of reports down the side. That day the list showed 128 reports filed since 1 p.m.

If you want to be certain you’re on the right site, go through the project’s verified Linktree rather than a link from a group chat.

Old Padlet link not working?

It’s gone for good. Any page that still sends you to Padlet, or wants you to download a file, is out of date or fake.

What Is People Over Papers?

It started in January 2025 with Celeste, a TikTok creator who began collecting the sightings her followers sent her. Another creator, Kat, suggested putting them on a shared map, and the People Over Papers immigration map grew from there (Marie Claire). Anyone can look at it, and anyone who sees something can add a report without giving their name. Around 50 volunteers keep it running now (Boyle Heights Beat).

The name is the point: a person’s safety comes before their paperwork. You’ll also see it searched the other way round, as “papers over people” or “paper over people.” Academics use the phrase too, as a jab at publish-or-perish culture, but nearly everyone searching for it in 2026 means the map.

What it is	A crowd-sourced map of reported immigration enforcement in the US
Started	January 2025, on TikTok
Where it is now	iceout.org (off Padlet since October 2025)
Cost	Free; runs on donations
Account needed	No
Languages	English and Spanish
Run by	About 50 volunteers (October 2025)

A Short Timeline

When	What happened
January 2025	Celeste starts collecting sightings from followers; a shared map follows
June 2025	Traffic surges during the Los Angeles raids; LAist reports 7.1 million unique visitors
October 2025	Padlet removes the map, and it’s back within hours on the team’s own site
2026	The team runs a public fundraiser with a $200,000 goal (Zeffy)

Know Your Rights: Trusted Resources

These are the same free resources the project points people to:

• Red cards from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, to show at the door, in many languages
• Know Your Rights from the ACLU, in English and Spanish
• Immigration hotlines listed by the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights

Do You Need an App?

No. The project’s Facebook page says so directly. Open iceout.org in your phone’s browser and use “Add to Home Screen” if you want an icon. Be careful with anything in an app store using the name, especially if it charges a weekly fee. Google’s own AI summary for this search now warns about copycats. Read our People Over Papers app guide for the look-alike app and phone setup.

The Debate Around Crowd-Sourced ICE Maps

Supporters see the map as neighbors looking out for each other, a way for families to decide whether to take a certain route or keep kids home. The founders frame it as a response to deep distrust of enforcement in immigrant communities (Marie Claire).

Critics say tools like this can get in the way of law enforcement or put officers at risk. Before Padlet pulled the original map, political advisor Laura Loomer publicly pressed the company to remove it (MIT Technology Review), and WIRED reported that Army intelligence analysts had flagged similar tools as potential security threats.

Whatever your view, the practical effect is the same: platforms can remove these maps, links move, and copycats fill the gap. Reaching the map through official channels is the habit that protects you.

Other ICE Tracking and Alert Tools

People Over Papers isn’t the only one. Some tools send alerts instead of drawing a map, and at least one, ICEBlock, was pulled from app stores in 2025. We’re writing separate guides to ICE tracker maps and alert apps. We compare them in ICE tracker live maps: how crowdsourced tools work.