Using a cell phone while driving is now illegal in Tucson.
A new application for cell phones is meant to alert family members if someone has been detailed by immigration officers.
The fear of deportation with little or no notice is one shared by many who are in this country illegally, said Sheridan Aguirre, a field communications field manager for United We Dream, a national organization with more than 100,000 members aimed at protecting the rights of immigrants who are in the U.S. regardless of legal status.
"One of the most common questions I hear from my loved one’s is if I’m detained, how will I remember what to do and be able to know what’s going on with me and how will I know what’s going on in my situation," Aguirre said.
That is what led an Arizona web developer, who himself was in the country illegally for 25 years, to come up with "Notifica."
Celso Mireles of Phoenix is now a U.S. citizen. He partnered with United We Dream to develop the phone app.
“Essentially this app alerts up to 15 people of one’s choosing, to let them know that they have been detained and that they need the support of those 15 people,” he said.
Aguirre said the app should be available next week and will be free and downloadable on Notifica.us.
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