The White House has launched a controversial new website that tracks 'aliens' across the United States, but the term refers to migrants arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), not extraterrestrial beings. The site, unveiled this week, initially appears to align with the administration's promise to release classified UFO files, but it instead focuses on human migrants from Earth.
Website Content and Design
The webpage features a green strapline reading: 'They walk among us.' It continues: 'For 60 years, the U.S. government has kept a closely guarded secret. Aliens have been walking among us, living in our neighborhoods, and interacting with us in our daily lives. They don't belong here.' The site includes a map of the US with red markings indicating migrant arrests, with the highest concentrations in Texas, Florida, and the East Coast. New York lists 3,650 migrant arrests since January 22, 2025, involving nationals from countries including Belarus, the Philippines, and Spain. Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border, reports 5,921 arrests, mostly of South American migrants, for offenses ranging from commercialized sexual offenses to traffic violations. A ticker counts 'encounters,' totaling 3,130,175 at the time of writing. Some 'aliens' are from the UK, with British nationals arrested in Miami, Jacksonville, and San Diego.
User Engagement and Language
Residents can sign up to 'stay informed of alien encounters in your area' and access an ICE tip line to 'report suspicious aliens.' The site assures readers not to be alarmed by 'alien abductions,' stating that authorities will 'return it safely to its place of origin,' referring to migrants as 'it' rather than 'them.' The use of 'aliens' for migrants has historical precedent, echoing a 1933 Nazi math textbook question: 'The Jews are aliens in Germany. In 1933, the German Reich had 66,060,000 inhabitants, of whom 499,682 were Jews. What is the percentage of aliens?'
Legal Actions and Reactions
On Thursday, the Trump administration filed lawsuits against Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington for refusing to issue confidential license plates to ICE agents, claiming the policy threatens agent safety. Democratic Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey stated, 'We are not going to use state resources to help ICE operate in secret, and without accountability, while refusing to provide basic information about who they are arresting and why.' The website has drawn criticism for its dehumanizing language and historical parallels.
