ICE Manipulates Google Search for Migration Fears

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Reports have emerged that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is manipulating Google search results by updating timestamps on outdated press releases, causing them to appear as recent news. According to an immigration lawyer who investigated the phenomenon, searches for ICE operations returned press releases detailing arrests that occurred years ago, like ones from 2010 and 2018, yet all displayed a recent date of January 24, 2025.

Searches conducted across all 50 states revealed similar results, leading experts to conclude that ICE is gaming Google's search algorithm to amplify the appearance of ongoing enforcement actions. “This creates a perception of mass deportations happening now,” said Lindsay M. Harris, a law professor specializing in immigration law. The confusion instills fear among immigrant communities, prompting some local officials to dispel rumors of recent raids. ICE did not respond to requests for comment, while a Google representative stated their systems aim to reflect the last time a page was updated, not to mislead the public.

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