Opposing ICE Might Save the Country. It Could Also Ruin Your Life
A professor at Syracuse University, Rafael Concepcion, has turned his life upside down to develop a mobile app that teaches immigrants how to exercise their constitutional rights when confronted by ICE. Concepcion's activism was sparked by a Facebook post from Maria Hernandez, the owner of a Mexican grocery store in New York's Finger Lakes region, who offered free deliveries to customers too scared to leave their homes due to ICE. Hernandez's post moved Concepcion to visit her store, where he felt a moral unease that eventually led him to write an op-ed and develop the app. Concepcion, who has worked in the tech industry for two decades, has leaned heavily on AI tools such as Cursor and ElevenLabs to build the app.
Concepcion spends most of his time coding between midnight and dawn while parked outside a Home Depot in his electric F-150 pickup, fueled by 14 cups of coffee a day. He listens to endless repeats of songs from Hamilton as he works, trying to feel kinship with the day laborers he hopes to reach with his app.
The app, which Concepcion is developing to help immigrants, is a response to ICE's increased arrests since President Trump's latest inauguration. The agency has tripled its daily arrests to more than 600 since the new administration took office.
Concepcion's drive to thwart ICE has been met with opposition, with some people commenting on his op-ed that he should focus on following the law. However, Concepcion remains committed to his project, which he believes is a way to help immigrants exercise their constitutional rights.
When Rafael Concepcion says that his app can help immigrants exercise their constitutional rights, that means the tech industry has a responsibility to support marginalized communities. By developing tools that empower immigrants, Concepcion is highlighting the tech industry's potential to drive positive social change. His story serves as a reminder that tech professionals have a role to play in shaping the future of society, and that their skills can be used for good or ill.
