Volunteer Guide

Volunteer Guide

Welcome to the Volunteer Guide for the ICE List Wiki. This project documents incidents, agents, facilities, vehicles, and related material connected to immigration enforcement activity in the United States. The accuracy and usefulness of this resource depends on committed volunteers who help gather information, write pages, improve verification levels, and strengthen the database.

This guide is both a public overview and a practical handbook for approved contributors working inside the system.

1. How the Wiki Works

The ICE List is structured into several page types:

• Incidents
• Agents
• Vehicles
• Facilities
• 287(g) Agreements
• State indexes
• County indexes
• News about ICE

All edits are reviewed by an administrator.

2. Volunteer Roles

Volunteers may work in one or more of the following areas:

• Incident Writers — Summarize and structure information about incidents.
• Agent Profile Writers — Build accurate profiles of agents, including unnamed agents using screenshots.
• Facility & Vehicle Page Builders — Add and maintain infrastructure-related pages.
• Verification Team — Strengthen sourcing and review claims.
• News Tracking Team — Monitor local, national, and international news outlets for any reports of immigration-related incidents, arrests, abuses, deaths, lawsuits, or policy actions that should be documented in the database.
• OSINT Team — Analyse videos, extract screenshots, identify agents, read plates.
• FOIA Team — Submit and track FOIA requests.
• Moderators — Pre-review edits and flag issues.
• Researchers — Gather background information on incidents, courts, statistics.
• Social Media Watch — Monitor platforms for new incidents and leads.
• More roles are likely to be added as the project grows.

Volunteers take initiative and choose the areas that match their strengths. Tasks will be available continuously as the database grows. You are free to complete tasks outside of agreed roles, inform an administrator when doing so.

If you are not yet a volunteer, consider joining the team using our ICE List Wiki:Volunteer

3. Working With Initiative

Volunteers are encouraged to work independently and select tasks based on interest and available evidence. However, all work must follow the structured workflow below to ensure accuracy and consistency.

What Volunteers Should Work On

Volunteers should primarily focus on:

• Incidents
• Agents (named or unnamed)
• Facilities
• Vehicles

These areas rely heavily on factual detail and available media, and volunteers play a critical role in completing and improving these pages.

How to Pick a Task

The recommended workflow:

• Choose an incident or agent that is missing detail.
• Open all linked material: videos, screenshots, documents, court filings, social media evidence, or news articles.
• Use the available evidence to build or improve the page.
• New agents can be added by searching for their name and choosing to create the page.

This ensures that every contribution strengthens the overall structure of the database.

Building Incident Reports

When working on incidents:

• Summarize the event using only verifiable facts.
• Add dates, locations, involved agents, vehicles, and outcomes.
• Link relevant news articles, videos, and official statements.
• Ensure it is categorized under Category:Incidents and the correct state-level category.

If a news story or social media post references an event not yet documented, create an incident report by searching for an incident in the format of 'YYYY-MM-DD Incident title' then click create page.

Creating News Pages Using the News Template

When volunteers locate a news story:

1. Create a page for that story using the News template.
2. Include the title, outlet, publication date, link, and summary.
3. If the story references a specific incident:
   1. Create (or complete) the associated Incident page.
   2. Link the news story to the incident.

News pages help track sources and protect against link rot over time.

Completing Unnamed Agent Pages

Some incidents involve agents who appear on video but cannot be named. In these cases:

• Create or complete the **Unnamed Agent** page.
• Add screenshots or still frames from the incident where the agent appears.
• Provide a short, factual description of their role in the event.
• Add relevant categories such as Category:Agents and the incident category.

Unnamed agent pages must never include speculation about identity.

Completing Vehicle Pages

Vehicles are often identifiable in incident footage. Volunteers should:

• Add screenshots showing the vehicle clearly.
• Document make, model, color, markings, and any unit identifiers.
• If a license plate is visible and confirmed:

 * Rename the page to the format: **plateNumber_State**  
   (Example: ```ABC123_Texas```)  

• Link the vehicle to all incidents where it appears.

This helps track enforcement patterns over time.

Improving Existing Pages

This remains an essential volunteer task:

• Add missing information.
• Strengthen citations.
• Clean up formatting or structure.
• Add related agents, vehicles, or facility details.
• Ensure categories are correct and complete.

Even small improvements make pages significantly more reliable.

When in Doubt

If you're unsure how to proceed:

• Leave a message on the page’s talk section, **or**
• Contact an administrator for guidance.

Working with initiative is encouraged — but always within the structure that keeps the wiki accurate, consistent, and maintainable.

4. Style, Accuracy, and Naming Rules

The project follows strict accuracy standards:

• No speculation of any kind.
• Every fact must be sourced.
• All pages must use consistent naming conventions.
• If unsure, mirror the structure of the most complete pages.
• Avoid narrative language or commentary.
• Remain neutral in description.
• Never publish private information that is not already public.

Checklist Before Submitting

• Is the information sourced?
• Are all statements factual, not speculative?
• Are categories shown using tags if needed?
• Are dates formatted consistently?
• Are names spelled correctly?
• Are external links functional?
• Does the page follow the standard structure?

5. Your First Edit: A Step-by-Step Guide

1. Choose a task - Browse existing categories (e.g. Category:Incidents) to find a page needing work.

2. Open the editor - Use VisualEditor or source mode.

3. Add or improve content - Follow style rules. Include citations for every fact.

4. Save your work for review - Your edit goes into the pending queue.

5. Check back later - Admins will approve, clarify, or guide.

6. Screenshot & OSINT Guide (Unnamed Agent Pages)

Some volunteers work specifically on identifying or documenting agents via screenshots from videos.

When to Capture Screenshots

• When an agent appears in a video and is not yet catalogued.
• When multiple angles or frames help establish visual consistency.
• When uniforms, vehicles, or context assist identification.

How to Capture

• Use the highest resolution available.
• Avoid adding marks, shapes, or edits.
• Crop only the relevant portion of the frame.

Labeling Unnamed Agents

Use descriptive labels such as:

• "Unnamed Agent (Chicago Airport Incident, 2024)"
• "Unnamed Agent (Texas Traffic Stop, May 2023)"

Screenshots must avoid including unrelated individuals or private addresses whenever possible.

7. Code of Conduct

All volunteers must follow:

• Respect all contributors.
• No harassment or targeted behaviour.
• Neutral, factual writing only.
• No speculation.
• No political commentary within article text.
• Use secure channels for sensitive information.
• Follow admin instructions.
• Violations may result in removal.

8. Getting Support

If you need help:

• Leave a message on a talk page.
• Contact an administrator.
• Flag pages needing review.
• Request additional categories or structural tools.

Questions are always welcome, especially on verification and sensitive cases.

9. Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do I need permission to start contributing? A: Yes. Volunteers must be approved first.

Q: Can I work in several roles? A: Yes.

Q: What if I'm unsure whether something is appropriate? A: Ask an administrator.

Q: What if two sources conflict? A: Present both neutrally and wait for guidance.

Q: Can I suggest improvements? A: Absolutely.

Q: Are edits anonymous? A: Your username is visible, no personal details are shown.

Q: How do I find tasks? A: Browse categories such as Category:Incidents or find redlinks that need creation. If lost, ask an administrator.

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Thank you for contributing to the ICE List Wiki. Your work strengthens transparency, documentation, and accountability.