Quick answer: People Over Papers is a free, volunteer-run map where people share sightings of immigration enforcement across the US. It needs no account, and since October 2025 it lives at iceout.org. The old Padlet link opens to nothing.
If a relative forwarded you a link and nobody can say whether it is the real one, you are in good company. When our editors searched in 2026, the official map and a copycat using the same name came up on the same page of results.
This guide covers where the map went, how to read a report, how far to trust a single pin, and how to avoid fake apps. It comes from the independent editors at People Over Papers, who are not affiliated with the project and do not collect reports.
Quick facts
- Started: January 2025, on TikTok
- Where it is now: iceout.org (off Padlet since October 2025)
- Cost: free, funded by donations
- Account needed: no
- Languages: English and Spanish
- Run by: about 50 volunteers, according to Boyle Heights Beat
What is People Over Papers?
The project began in January 2025, when TikTok creator Celeste started collecting the sightings her followers sent her. Another creator, Kat, suggested putting them on a shared map, Marie Claire reported, and the map grew from there. Anyone can look at it, and anyone who sees something can add a report without giving a name.
The name states the priority: a person’s safety comes before their paperwork. In June 2025, during the Los Angeles raids, traffic surged and LAist reported 7.1 million unique visitors.
Where is the map now? From Padlet to iceout.org
The map is at iceout.org. Padlet, the bulletin-board service that hosted the first version, removed it in October 2025. The team had already been building its own site and had the map running again within hours, MIT Technology Review reported.
That is why a search for padlet people over papers, people over papers padlet or padlet.com people over papers now ends in a dead page. The same goes for padlet people over papers map, padlet.com people over papers map and people over papers padlet map. Old addresses that begin padlet.com/peopleoverpapers belong to that first version.
Searches such as padlet ice, ice padlet, padlet.com ice, padlet.com ice map, padlet ice tracker, padlet immigration, padlet map immigration and padlet immigration website link usually come from someone holding a forwarded message that still points at the old board. Others type padlet over papers or papers over people padlet from memory. If a page still sends you to Padlet, or asks you to download a file, it is out of date or fake.
When you open iceout.org, a short “Verifying…” screen appears first. It is a bot check. Then the map loads with a list of reports beside it. On the day our editors looked, the list showed 128 reports filed since 1 p.m. To be sure you are on the right site, go through the project’s verified Linktree rather than a link from a group chat. Searches such as iceout.org People Over Papers, iceout.org peopleoverpapers and iceout org peopleoverpapers all lead to the same place: the map at iceout.org.
The names people search, and what they mean
The project goes by many spellings. Here is what each one usually points to.
| Search phrase | What it usually means |
| people over paper, people over paper map, people over paper maps | Singular spelling. Same project, same map. |
| papers over people, paper over people, over papers people, over people papers, over the papers | Reversed word order. Academics use “papers over people” as a jab at publish-or-perish culture, but most searches in 2026 mean the map. |
| peopleoverpapers, peopleoverpaper | Run-together spelling, and the handle in the old Padlet address. |
| people papers, people paper, people vs papers, people for papers, people before papers | Shorthand and other word choices for the same map. |
| people over papers ice, ice people over papers, ice over papers, anonymous papers ice, paper over paper ice | Searchers who want the ICE watch map specifically. |
| people over papers link, people over papers website, www.people over papers | Someone looking for the real address. It is iceout.org. |
| people over papers.com, people over papers.org, peopleoverpapers com | Guesses at a web address. The map itself is at iceout.org. |
| people over papers map free, people over papers live map | Yes, it is free, and live reports sit on the map at iceout.org. |
| people over papers today | The list shows today’s reports by default. Use the date filter to go back. |
| people over papers 2025 | The year the project started and moved off Padlet. |
| people over papers reddit, google people over papers | Forum posts can carry outdated links. Start from the verified Linktree. |
| paper over papers, papers over papers, paper over paper anonymous | Garbled versions of the name. Same map. |
| padlet over papers, padlet over paper, padlet people over paper, padlet.com people over paper, paper over people padlet, padlet papers over people | People who remember the old Padlet board. It was removed in October 2025, and the map now lives at iceout.org. |
| papers over people map, people for papers map, people over the papers, overpapers, people and papers | More reversed or shortened versions of the name. Same map. |
| people over papers anonymous anónimo map, people over papers anonymous anónimo ice, padlet.com people over papers anonymous, padlet people over papers anonymous anonimo, people over paper anonymous, paper over people anonymous, padlet over papers anonymous | All ask the same question: can you report without giving a name? Yes. See the section below on anonymity. |
| people over papers crowdsourced, people over papers new website, people over papers padlet english, people over papers padlet free, padlet map immigration link, padlet people over papers map free | Longer searches that fit the same story: a free, crowdsourced map that moved from the Padlet board to its own website. |
| people of papers, peopleover papers, people on papers, people under papers | Misspellings that land in the same place. |
| people over papers los angeles, people over papers chicago, people over papers ice map usa | The map covers the whole US. Use the filters to narrow it to your area. |
How the map works
Someone sees what looks like enforcement activity and files a short report saying where, when and what they saw. It appears as a pin on the map and as an entry in the list, labelled with a category and a confirmation status. You can switch between individual pins and a heat map that shows where reports bunch up.
Report types and what “Not Confirmed” means
There are four categories: Critical, Active, Observed and Other. They roughly signal urgency, and the map’s own legend is the authority, so check it before relying on a summary.
Most entries are marked Not Confirmed. Of the 40 or so recent reports our editors scrolled through, two were Confirmed. Not Confirmed means nobody has checked the report yet. It does not mean the report is false, and neither label makes a report an official government record.
The filters most people miss
By default the list shows today. You can widen the date range, narrow it to your area, show a single category, or hide anything that is not confirmed. A checkbox labelled “Limit reports list to map” keeps the list matched to whatever part of the map is on your screen. On a phone, that one saves a lot of scrolling.
Five questions to ask before you act on a report
Speed is the whole value of the map. It is also imperfect in predictable ways: people mistake other agencies for ICE, the same event gets posted twice, and some reports arrive hours after the fact. Run through these five questions first.
- When did it happen? Look at the time of the event, not the time of the post.
- Are there several reports in the same spot? Give more weight to a cluster than to a single pin.
- Is it Confirmed? Lean on Confirmed reports when the decision matters.
- Could it be a duplicate or another agency? Check whether nearby entries describe the same event.
- Does a local network agree? If a rapid-response group exists where you live, check with them too.
A blank patch of map only means nobody reported anything there.
Is People Over Papers anonymous?
You can view and report without an account. The original Padlet board was titled People Over Papers (Anonymous/Anónimo) to show that anyone could report without a name, which is why people over papers anonymous, over papers anonymous, people papers anonymous and padlet people over papers anonymous are still popular searches. Variants such as anonymous people over papers, people over papers anonymous map, people over papers anonymous padlet, over paper anonymous, papers over people anonymous and papers anonymous all lead to the same answer.
To stay anonymous, share only what you saw and a general area, such as an intersection or a business. Never include names, faces, home addresses or license plates, and remove location data from any photo.
Do you need a People Over Papers app?
No. The project’s Facebook page says so directly. Open iceout.org in your phone’s browser and use “Add to Home Screen” if you want an icon, which is also the answer to people over papers map on a phone.
Searches for people over papers app, people over papers map app, people over papers anonymous app, padlet people over papers app and people over papers aplicación all have the same answer: there is nothing to install. Be careful with anything in an app store that uses the name, especially if it charges a weekly fee. Google’s own AI summary for this search now warns about copycats.
How to spot the real map
| The real one | Red flags |
| Reached from the verified Linktree or official socials | Reached from a forwarded link or an ad |
| Free, funded by donations | Payment or subscription to see reports |
| Works in the browser | Asks you to install an APK or app file |
| Asks only what you saw and where | Asks for your name, phone or email |
| Points to its official fundraiser | Collects money through an unknown site |
The project runs on donations and volunteer time, and it has run a public fundraiser with a $200,000 goal. Do not send money through anything that only claims to represent it.
The debate around crowd-sourced ICE maps
Supporters see neighbors looking out for each other, a way for families to decide whether to take a certain route or keep kids home. Critics say tools like this can get in the way of law enforcement or put officers at risk. Before Padlet pulled the original map, political advisor Laura Loomer publicly pressed the company to remove it, and WIRED reported that Army intelligence analysts had flagged similar tools as potential security threats.
Whatever your view, the practical effect is the same. Platforms can remove these maps, links move, and copycats fill the gap. Other tools send alerts instead of drawing a map, and at least one, ICEBlock, was pulled from app stores in 2025. Reaching any of them through official channels is the habit that protects you.
Know your rights and find legal help
A pin will not tell you what to do when agents are nearby. Legal groups that deal with this every day give fairly consistent advice: stay calm, keep your distance and do not interfere. Write down the time, the place and what you saw, because that is what makes a later report useful. Call your local rapid-response hotline if there is one, and learn your rights before you need them.
- Red cards from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, to show at the door, in many languages
- Know Your Rights from the ACLU, in English and Spanish
- Immigration hotlines listed by the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
This is general information, not legal advice. For your own situation, talk to a licensed immigration attorney or an accredited legal aid group.
En español: mapa de ICE watch de People Over Papers
El proyecto es un mapa gratuito, hecho por voluntarios, donde la gente reporta actividad de inmigración en Estados Unidos. Desde octubre de 2025 está en iceout.org. Si buscas people over papers español, people over papers anonymous en español, map people over papers en español, people over papers anónimo, people over papers anonimo, people over papers anonimos o people over paper anónimo, la dirección actual es esa. Quien busque people over paper migración encontrará el mismo mapa.
No necesitas cuenta ni aplicación, así que no hay nada que descargar. Para people over papers descargar o descargar people over papers, la respuesta es la misma: desconfía de cualquier archivo. Lo mismo vale para people over papers aplicacion. El antiguo enlace de Padlet inmigración ya no funciona. Si reportas algo, no publiques nombres, caras, domicilios ni placas.
The short version
Use iceout.org, start from the verified Linktree, and treat every pin as a lead to check rather than a fact. People Over Papers is free, so be wary of any app, payment request or file download that carries its name.
Frequently asked questions
Is the map free to use?
Yes, both to view and to report. It costs nothing, needs no account, and runs on donations.
What happened to the Padlet link?
Padlet removed the first map in October 2025. The team relaunched within hours on iceout.org, and the old link no longer works.
Are the reports verified?
Most are marked Not Confirmed, which means nobody has checked them yet. Cross-check anything important with local groups.
Can I see older reports?
Yes. The date filter goes back past today, and the project’s Linktree links to historic maps.
Who runs it?
Its founders, Celeste and Kat, and a volunteer team. They keep their last names private for safety.
How can I help?
Donate through the official fundraiser, use the volunteer form on the verified Linktree, or share the real address, iceout.org.