ICE racially profiles mainly the Hispanic/Latinx community

Question

ICE has a big impact on the Hispanic community and making them fear going out to work, go to the grocery store and even afraid of calling the police if they see any crime. "16% of foreign-born Latinos have avoided calling the police or reporting a crime for fear of being questioned about their legal status. Another 15% of foreign-born Latinos have avoided public places like parks or recreation areas, and 14% reported that they have avoided speaking Spanish in public. This survey also found that 10% of foreign-born Latinos are avoiding work situations where they might be asked about their citizenship status" (Brookings.edu, R.Sanchez. Gabriel, Edward D.Vargas, 2025) . These statistics aren't surprising especially with how ICE profiles them  "we asked respondents directly what a white border patrol agent whom they might encounter would assume their race to be, based on their skin color, hairstyle, or facial features." Gabriel R. Sanchez and Edward D.Vargas stated. This proves why many are affected and afraid stepping outside to do their day to day basis things, and has become a fear to many Hispanic/Latino adults but has also become a fear for many kids including those in elementary.

Answer 1

This claim is true. After looking further into the source listed in the claim, it is a legitimate source. Brookings is a nonprofit organization that specializes in research. There is also an article from NPR that talks about the Supreme Court ruling that allows "immigration agents [to] consider factors like race, whether Spanish is being spoken, whether English is being spoken with an accent, and employment location..." This means that ICE would target specifically hispanic people. According to an article from the New York Times, a man named Jose Escobar Melina was falsely detained by ICE when walking to his work truck. The agents did not ask for his name or immigration status before taking him away, only to be released a day later. Jose was only detained because he was latino when in reality he was a citizen. 

All sources used are primary sources as they involve first hand accounts of people being racially profiled. There are also minimal biases as all sources state facts directly from the government or people who experienced the racial profiling. 

Sources: https://www.npr.org/2025/09/13/nx-s1-5507125/the-supreme-court-clears-the-way-for-ice-agents-to-treat-race-as-grounds-for-immigration-stops

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/24/us/ice-race-ethnicity-immigration.html

Comments

Great fact check! I liked the way you explained this, it was easy to read. I also liked how you mentioned they were primary sources and there was minimal bias.

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Good fact check, shows a good perspective on the topic, and helps me understand the article.

Answer 2

In investigating the claim that "ICE has a big impact on the Hispanic community and making them fear going out to work, go to the grocery store and even afraid of calling the police if they see any crime" I found that the source cited by the author (Brookings) is legitimate, because not only Brookings is a non-profit organization, whose mission is to conduct in-depth, nonpartisan research to improve policy and governance, but also has personal events, books, podcasts; which gives this source plenty of credibility.

Moreover, the first source given by the claim includes a link of the law enforcement from the Supreme Court, and this link ends with ".gov" which gives credibility that is just not a fake link.

Furthermore, having search this information it other sources, enhances its credibility. One of this sources being NPR, a non-profit public radio network. This news article talks about how the law enforcement changes in different agencies across the country. Some police men are more interested in the crime involving ICE, rather than sweeping.

In conclusion, this fact is true, and there are no biases in a law enforcement.

Comments

This is a good fact-check. I appreciate your in-depth research and evidence to show support for the claim. Also checking that your sources were credible is also very helpful and important.

Answer 3

The claim that ICE racially profiles mainly the Hispanic/Latinx community is unfortunately true. With the recent uproar in ICE raids and sweeps not only do agents target the Hispanic/Latinx community, but they also racially profile them and much more. The worst part of this all is that due to a Supreme Court ruling in the case of Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo, agents aren't just targeting one community, they are almost encouraged to. The ruling states that agents are now able to stop and question individuals based on how they look, what language they speak, what work they do, or even where they happen to be. This essentially endorses ICE and Border Patrol targeting any Latinos they observe speaking Spanish or working in low-income jobs, and then demanding their papers. (American Immigration Council) So, to answer your claim, yes ICE does racially profile the Hispanic/Latinx community and not because of personal animosity, but because they are endorsed to do so by the law.

Comments

I love how you used rulings coming directly from the Supreme Court of the United States, as well as an analysis of what these rulings mean, in order to explain exactly what makes this claim true. The way you explained how the ruling of Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo is very clear, and readers are sure to understand how the ruling in this specific case enables ICE Agents to racially profile individuals of the Hispanic/Latinx community. On top of your thorough explanation, I love how you used multiple sources that all come from official U.S. institutions or organizations. Thank you for this response!

Answer 4

Yes, it is true that ICE racially profiles mainly the Hispanic/Latinx community. On September 8th, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States changed what qualifies as reasonable suspicion to be questioned by ICE. This order granted ICE the ability to stop individuals that they suspect might be undocumented immigrants based on the grounds of their race, language and even their field of work. According to a concurring opinion by the SCOTUS, “In this case, however, the District Court enjoined U. S. immigration officers from making investigative stops in the Los Angeles area when the stops are based on the following factors or combination of factors: (i) presence at particular locations such as bus stops, car washes, day laborer pickup sites, agricultural sites, and the like; (ii) the type of work one does; speaking Spanish or speaking English with an accent; and apparent race or ethnicity.” This is from a primary source directly from the Supreme Court .gov page. A story and footage from NBC4 Los Angeles highlights a specific instance of ICE targeting Spanish speaking day-laborers in a Home Depot parking lot. 

Sources: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/25a169_5h25.pdf 

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/ice-agents-detain-day-laborers-at-home-depot-parking-lot-in-westlake/3717409/#:~:text=ICE%20agents%20detain%20day%20laborers,how%20many%20people%20were%20detained.

Answer 5

According to the data the source “ Brookings” is consider a secondary source but it conducts on depth research of analysis on political issues. The source states that the U.S Supreme Court made a new decision that gives immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) more freedom to stop and question people if they look or sound immigrants. ICE is allowed to use 4 things to decide who to stop first they look at places where “Immigrants” often work or travel. Look whether they speak Spanish or English with an accent and their race and nationality appearances.

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/racial-profiling-by-ice-will-have-a-marked-impact-on-latino-communities/

Another source that also goes with the claim is “American Immigration Council”. This source is a non-profit organization which means . Also states that the court temporarily allowed Ice and Border Patrol to stop people based on appearances, language, or job . According to Justice Sotomayor states that especially Latino, Spanish Speaking, low-income workers in the Los Angeles region, may face increased risk of being stop, questioned or detained by immigration enforcement based on broad traits (appearance,language, occupation.

https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/blog/supreme-courts-decision-racial-profiling-immigration-raids/

Additionally, another source found according to the statement is “ ICE Enforcement of Removal Operations and Statistics”. This source is a primary source due to the fact that is a government use of data and analysis. Thought the article it points out the impact mainly the Latino community is being impacted. It also proves how ICE is more concentrated  in communities with large Latino populations and represent the overwhelming majority of ERO arrest and removals. Even thought arrest are justified as “criminal” or public safety” many involve low-level offenses or civil immigrations violations meaning that enforcement actions often functionally target Latino Immigrants rather then focusing on other racial individuals. Also according to the graph you can see how Mexico and Latin American has the most impacts on deportations then other countries in the world.

https://www.ice.gov/statistics

Stating this claim is true according to the data and sources

Answer 6

This claim is one many people are curious about in these trying times, so looking into sources needs to be looked at with a careful eye. There is substantial evidence that ICE disproportionally targets people of color, but the claim that it is mainly Hispanic/ LatinX is more controversial. The profiling practices of ICE, especially those perceived as immigrants, is undeniable, and typically based on foreign accent and skin color. A study from UCLA suggests that "The multivariate analysis shows that arrest rates do not have a statistically significant association with overall crime rates nor estimated immigrant crime rates. This suggests that implementation across states did not prioritize arresting the so-called “worst of the worst”. Instead, the findings indicate that arrests patterns were more strongly driven by political alignment, specifically by states most supportive of the President’s anti-immigrant rhetoric" (Staff, CNK. “Immigration Enforcement Briefs Series.” UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge, CNK Staff https://knowledge.luskin.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Uxd_Blk_CNK_Luskin_E.png, 24 Sept. 2025, knowledge.luskin.ucla.edu/2025/07/30/state-variations-in-ice-arrests-following-the-2024-election/.). In 2023, a study by Young et al. also detected Latinx immigrants to have greater exposure to immigration enforcement than other groups and illustrated appearance and language as significant profiling indicators. Another 2025 Immigration Research Initiative survey found that Spanish-speaking immigrants steer clear of work, contact with police, and public spaces for fear of being targeted by ICE. These accounts are corroborated by secondary sources. A 2025 Pew Research Center survey revealed that 42% of Hispanic grown-ups in the United States fear being deported, as do most U.S. born Latinos. The Los Angeles Times (2025) reported that 76% of overall ICE enforcement activity in California focused in majority-Latino ZIP codes. SCOTUSblog (2025) also reported on a Supreme Court decision approving immigration stops on grounds partly based on race and language, widely criticized as condoning racial profiling. In conclusion, the evidence shows that the practices of ICE disproportionately target the Hispanic/Latinx community. While profiling might impact other communities as well, the Latino community is most directly and most predictably impacted.

Comments

I see you've cited many sources but only provided a URL source links for one. Please include all source links next time. Thanks!

Answer 7

I agree with this claim. Ice has had a significant impact on Latino communities. According to Brookings, the source provided above mentions how ICE has been targeting major US states and cities with intentions of capturing Latino immigrants. 

According to a UCLA research done by Paul Ong, Jonathan Ong and Chhandara Pech, they found that ICE arrest rates are associated with Latinos arrested in major cities. Paul Ong is a professor at UCLA who specialises in Urban planning and social welfare. 

NBC has also reported on this topic and mentioned the Supreme court case that is sparking controversy, “The Supreme Court's decision Monday puts a hold on a lower court restraining order in California that had barred federal law enforcement from detaining people based on perceived race, ethnicity, language and workplace.”
The Guardian reported on this Supreme Court decision that “Immigration advocates warned that the supreme court has “effectively legalized racial profiling”, granting federal agents the power to stop people in Los Angeles simply for speaking Spanish or appearing Latino.”

These evidence point how ICE has affected the Latino community very negatively, and these officers are creating fear and mistrust in the country. These reports also show how media coverage plays an important role in exposing racial profiling and holding Ice accountable.

Answer 8

The facts presented in the paragraph are very precise and supported by the Brookings Institution article "Racial profiling by ICE will have a marked impact on Latino communities" by Gabriel R. Sanchez and Edward D. Vargas (2025). The percentages given — that 16% of foreign-born Latinos have avoided calling the police, 15% avoided being in public, 14% avoided speaking Spanish in public, and 10% have avoided work environments where they might be asked about their citizenship — are accurately quoted from the Brookings report. The article also supports the contention that ICE and border patrol officers often project the race or ethnicity of an individual on the basis of physical appearance, giving rise to racial profiling concerns. The paragraph stretches the findings a bit too far by highlighting fear among children, which is not directly addressed in the Brookings article but might be construed as an indirect impact on families. Overall, the paragraph is a good précis of findings in the report, and only with slight wording changes to specify who was surveyed and to what level the data extends.

Answer 9

Unfortunately, this claim is true. The claim comes from Brookings, a highly credible non-profit organization that specializes in research and government. The authors exclusively use primary sources such as government documents and various studies/surveys to back their claim.

An important document referenced in the article is the Supreme Court ruling for Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo. Within, the Court confirms that someone could be considered a person of interest based on four factors: "their apparent race or ethnicity, whether they spoke Spanish or English with an accent, the type of location at which they were found, and the type of job where they appeared to work" (Noem v. Perdomo). A dissenting judge also mentioned that ICE agents were encouraged to make arrests if there was a chance that the person they are detaining is a citizen.

Additionally, upon visiting the official ICE website, a discrepancy between nationalities became immediately clear. Under the "U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Removals Statistics" section, there is a map that highlights what countries the majority of deported individuals have come from as of May 2025. Mexico accounts for over 200,000 of these removals, followed by Guatemala, Honduras, and many other South American countries.

Sources

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/25a169_5h25.pdf

https://www.ice.gov/statistics

Answer 10

They do a good job at explaining the issue and provide credible resources, and after conducting my own investigation, it is clear that ICE’s enforcement practices have had a deeply harmful impact on Latino communities. These actions have created an environment of fear, forcing people to change their everyday lives, hesitating to go to work, avoiding public spaces, and even worrying about seeking help from law enforcement. Lawmakers have emphasized the unconstitutional nature of these practices, stating that “a strategy of immigration enforcement that singles out law-abiding people solely because of their race is at odds with our constitution’s commitment to both equality and freedom from unreasonable searches.” This concern is made even more alarming by statements from officials themselves, such as Border Czar Tom Homan, who openly admitted that “ICE officers and Border Patrol don’t need probable cause to walk up to somebody, briefly detain them, and question them… based on their physical appearance.” The human consequences of these policies are evident on the ground. Community organizations have documented the disproportionate targeting of Latino neighborhoods and the anxiety it causes. As Angelica Salas, executive director of CHIRLA, explained “The blatant racial profiling by the Trump Administration is clearly visible in this map. Areas where people of color live and work, which also include major Latino hubs, were racially profiled and targeted. This military federal immigration enforcement operation was a surgical attack meant to provoke panic and confusion, and unleash terror in our neighborhoods.” These firsthand accounts and documented patterns show that racial profiling is not just a concern, it is a systemic practice that disrupts daily life, in public institutions, and generates fear among both immigrants and U.S.-born Latinos. Families, workers, and children are all affected, as their families are getting ripped apart and living with the constant anxiety that their race or ethnicity could make them targets.

Articles: 

https://carbajal.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3343

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-07-22/data-shows-evidence-of-racial-profiling-in-ice-raids-immigrant-rights-group-says