Overview
- Founded after November raids in Charlotte that led to about 130 arrests, the initiative has expanded into a coordinated volunteer effort.
- They search ICE’s Online Detainee Locator using names or A-Numbers and, when contact is impossible, send letters to obtain identifiers directly from detainees.
- Locating people held in local or county jails remains a major obstacle because those records sit outside ICE’s centralized system.
- Volunteers create and load commissary or phone accounts using detainees’ A-Numbers, relying on donations when families lack a U.S. address or credit card.
- Beyond reconnecting calls, the team offers guidance—memorize key phone numbers, share A-Numbers with trusted contacts, and prepare an emergency plan—and now fields support requests through social media.