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By Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter
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Incendiary claims have recently spread on social media alleging that Ring, the Amazon-owned home security company, was notifying customers about Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.
The claim originated from screenshots taken from Ring's Neighbors app, a platform where users can post about local safety issues, lost pets and suspicious activities. The screenshot, which appeared to warn residents of nearby ICE activity, was reposted in Facebook and Twitter groups, raising questions about whether Ring was deliberately issuing alerts on immigration enforcement.
Ring has now denied the claims, telling Newsweek that the company does not notify customers about ICE raids and that the alert shown in the screenshot was created by a Neighbors app user rather than the company itself.
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"Ring is not notifying customers about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity," a company spokesperson said. "Ring customers who have Neighbors App notifications enabled may be notified about posts authored by other Neighbors App users in their location."
Newsweek confirmed that the notifications users received were user-generated posts rather than official alerts. Newsweek has also contacted ICE for further comment. The agency historically does not announce specific enforcement actions to the public in advance.
Why It Matters
The incidents have highlighted how immigration enforcement remains a flashpoint in national discourse, particularly following President Donald Trump's emphasis on immigration during his election campaign and administration. A New York Times/Ipsos poll conducted between January 2 and 10 found that 55 percent of voters surveyed strongly or somewhat supported deportations, with support rising to 88 percent for deporting immigrants with criminal records. Both Democrats and Republicans have broadly agreed that the current immigration system is in need of reform, though approaches to the issue vary widely.
Immigration raids were reported across the country, from Texas to Seattle to Chicago, within days of Trump's inauguration. While deportation numbers remain unknown for now, the number of arrests made by ICE and other Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies has also steadily increased.
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How Does the Neighbors App Work?
The confusion regarding Ring's role appears to stem from how the Neighbors app manages alerts. Users can opt in to notifications concerning "crime" or "suspicious behavior" in their vicinity. If an individual posts about an ICE sighting—or any law enforcement presence—others may receive push notifications referencing that post. Some of those who saw the "ICE immigration is near; be aware" message believed Ring itself had sent the alert.
Ring says that while it moderates the Neighbors app for content such as hate speech, harassment or blatant misinformation, posts about observed activity are generally allowed. Broad discussions of immigration policy, as well as messages encouraging racial profiling or discrimination, are against its guidelines and can be removed.
Is It Legal To Alert Neighbors To Law Enforcement Activity?
The legal implications of alerting others to potential ICE activity depend on how the information is shared. According to Bennett Gershman, a professor at Pace University's law school, free speech protections allow residents to discuss law enforcement in their neighborhoods, but language that actively encourages evasion of authorities could possibly be construed as obstruction of justice.
Gershman told Newsweek that saying, "I hear that the ICE agents may be coming around," is generally protected, whereas posts suggesting that individuals hide or flee might increase the risk of legal consequences if the government views them as interfering with an active operation.
"I think it's important to be very explicit on what is being communicated," he said. "The words 'tips' or 'warnings' might readily be seen as an obstruction of justice and make the tipster subject to criminal liability. I suppose saying something more generally, like, 'I hear that the ICE agents may be coming around our neighborhood soon,' or something that doesn't sound like a warning or a tip might be more defensible, even though the person speaking might mean it as a warning.
"In any case, there is the frightening possibility that people thinking they're doing the right thing and the humanitarian thing in trying to protect friends and neighbors from getting arrested might themselves wind up in jail."
Bradford H. Bernstein, an attorney, told Newsweek: "Informing others about ICE activity based on personal observation or publicly available information is legal and protected under the First Amendment. However, actively aiding someone in evading law enforcement or interfering with an operation could be considered obstruction of justice."
Surveillance Concerns
Part of the concern over Ring's technology may stem from the company's prior arrangements with law enforcement agencies.
In January 2024, Ring said that it would stop letting police departments request and receive users' footage on its app after mounting criticism.
Critics—led by digital privacy groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation—argued that such requests had risked normalizing ubiquitous surveillance and encroached on civil liberties.
Immigrant advocacy organizations have noted that while platforms or other social media can help people share information quickly, they also risk spreading misinformation. Rapidly shared posts—especially on a controversial topic like immigration—can cause residents to draw inaccurate conclusions.
In January this year, the San Francisco Unified School District caused alarm by emailing public-school families about a middle-school student who reported being approached by an "immigration law enforcement officer" on a No. 29 bus in Visitacion Valley—an area with a large immigrant population. According to the district's message, the Visitacion Valley Middle School student said this individual "approached" them and "asked for identification and where they were from."
In the wake of this announcement, more elaborate rumors spread online about the No. 29 bus, including allegations that teams of ICE personnel, some reportedly accompanied by dogs, boarded the bus and carried out detentions.
The agency later confirmed that the encounter described by the student did not involve ICE.
Tensions around deportation are high, given that many Americans who support tighter border controls disagree on how actively ICE should operate within communities.
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