The Trump White House has stepped up enforcement of the nation's immigration laws, and to combat concerns over racial profiling, the ACLU has come out with a new app for smart phones that will give Latino communities the tools to defend themselves, Newsradio 1200 WOAI news reports.
"Policymakers have not done enough to protect our immigrant communities, so we have to give those communities the tools to defend themselves," Astrid Dominguez, director of the group's Border Rights Center, says.
The app, dubbed MigraCam, was designed to help people living in Latino communities send video evidence of immigration raids to their family members via email and text.
Dominguez says, in many cases, people are not able to tell their relatives that they're in trouble until after deportation.
"This is a tool that helps community members alert their loved ones about their whereabouts and about what is happening," she says.
The app was designed by a New York based tech company called Quadrant 2 Inc. Denny George, director of mobile platforms, is a migrant himself.
“Interaction with a law enforcement agency can be a fearful experience," he said. “This is especially true for those who are already under attack in the current political climate."
He says, even if the phone is confiscated, the video will be delivered to the intended contacts.