How migrant-focused newsrooms are tackling Trump panic

A flurry of immigration action since President Trump’s return to Washington has struck fear across migrant communities in the U.S. — often stoked by misinformation spread through social media channels.

Migrant-focused news outlets are on the front lines of the fight against this panic, trying to inject facts and sound guidance into an information environment filled with fear and rumors.

“We cover immigration actions with nuance and in a way that does not lead people to flee their homes when, in many cases, they are not at greater risk than they were prior to these new immigration actions,” said Macollvie Neel, managing editor of The Haitian Times, an immigrant-focused outlet in New York.

Almost every city in the U.S. has had to respond to false reports about how Trump’s promised immigration crackdown is impacting its residents.

In January, shortly after the Trump administration announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could conduct enforcement in schools, a false report about ICE officers visiting a Chicago elementary school circulated widely online and was even shared by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D). A similar rumor in Philadelphia prompted a school district to issue a denial, assuring the community that ICE was not present in schools.

In San Francisco, a middle schooler's claim of encountering an ICE agent on a bus sparked panic among parents, while in Colorado, social media posts warning of raids circulated rapidly before local police intervened, stating they had no knowledge of any actions.

“This flood of misleading or false information fuels unnecessary fear, preventing immigrants from going to school, work, and even court hearings,” said Ethar El-Katatney, an editor at Documented, another New York-based news outlet covering immigration.

In New York alone, El-Katatney said 92,000 TikTok videos were posted using the hashtag #ICE since early January — an increase of 37 percent compared to the previous three months combined.

In New York City, where many immigrant-focused news outlets are based, Mayor Eric Adams (D) has collaborated with Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, spurring fear among migrant communities.

Outlets like Documented are attempting to dispel this anxiety, creating resource guides for readers outlining the impact of the administration’s policies on their day-to-day lives.

El-Katatney told The Hill that recent false reports about ICE raids that circulated among New York’s Sikh community caused widespread panic, prompting some individuals to stay home from work and school.

In response, Documented created a guide with practical steps to verify sources, while another guide clarifies the differences between ICE agents and local police "to prevent unnecessary fear."

In a similar instance last month, rumors circulated about ICE arresting people during court hearings. A community member from New York sent a message to Documented via WhatsApp asking if it was true.

It wasn’t. In response, the outlet published a guide explaining the risks of missing a court date and what individuals should do if they are unable to attend hearings.

Neel, the Haitian Times managing editor, said the outlet's priority is to fight “psychological propaganda” aimed at creating panic among migrant communities, particularly Haitians, its target audience.

Neel added that she has spoken with several Haitian small-business owners in New York who claim their businesses are in decline because immigrant workers are afraid to come to work.

Last month, the Trump administration announced it was accelerating the termination of temporary protected status (TPS) for Haitian immigrants. Originally set to expire in February 2026, it will now end in August of this year. But many mistakenly believed their status was revoked immediately.

"They thought they needed to leave right away,” she added.

The Haitian Times produced a series of explainers on TPS, clarifying that the extension has been reduced by six months.

“Many in the community with TPS are thinking of moving to Brazil or Chile because they don’t want to deal with this uncertainty,” Neel added.

Documented and The Haitian Times are also reaching readers on social media and messaging apps they frequently use.

El-Katatney, the editor of Documented, said the outlet seeks to communicate with readers directly through platforms like WhatsApp, WeChat and Nextdoor.

“These allow us to share verified information in real time and answer community members’ questions directly,” she said.

The Haitian Times has been using Instagram and YouTube to reach its audience with video explainers about the situation and how it affects them.

Documented, in collaboration with Queens-based Epicenter NYC, also created a video posted across social platforms on how to respond if a federal agent arrives at one’s home or place of employment. It was the kind of content that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) produced for immigrants, drawing the ire of her Republican colleagues.

“This moment is sensitive for our staff and the communities we represent. We live and work in these communities — the immigrants under attack are our neighbors, friends, people we care about,” Epicenter NYC Publisher Mitra Kalita said.

Stephen J. Adler, director of the New York University Ethics and Journalism Initiative, said the most important service journalists can provide right now is to “report the facts rigorously, to put them in context, and to focus more on what is actually happening than on what is being said.”

“Unreasonable — as opposed to reasonable — fear is often set off by rhetoric or rumors that fail to pan out,” he continued. “Our job is to alert people to officials' actions and their actual impact.”

The difference between legacy media outlets and diaspora outlets, according to Neel, is that diaspora outlets “humanize the communities we serve and help people understand how their lives will be impacted by the action on a day-to-day basis.”

But that may carry risks, too.

Homan and other Trump officials have threatened legal action against those who are "impeding" ICE operations by informing people of their rights when confronted by ICE officials.

After a public war of words with Homan, Ocasio-Cortez wrote to the Department of Justice last month to clarify whether she was being investigated over her efforts to educate people about their rights.

Neel said The Haitian Times had to rethink its vocabulary in light of such threats, while El-Katatney said Documented is actively discussing “how to prepare for potential legal or political pressure and shoring up our digital and media safety policies.”

In September, The Haitian Times received a flurry of threats for its coverage of a conspiracy theory about Haitian migrants “eating pets” in Springfield, Ohio, which Trump touted throughout the 2024 presidential campaign cycle.

“Diaspora media outlets face disproportionate threats,” Neel said.

The outlet has taken several steps to protect its staff against physical and online harassment, including installing programs to intercept cyberattacks and prevent hacking attempts that have continued since the campaign.

Ultimately, for these outlets, the story of Trump’s immigration policies is personal.

“We are part of the community,” Neel added. “We all have relatives, friends and neighbors who are going through this.”

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