On June 19, Emma de Paz found herself in a distressing situation while selling breakfast to day laborers outside a local Home Depot in Los Angeles. Her routine was abruptly interrupted when immigration agents arrived on the scene. Witnesses reported that some agents chased workers through the parking lot, while others rounded up food cart vendors. De Paz was handcuffed, forced onto her knees, and transported to a federal detention center in downtown Los Angeles. In a phone call to her brother, Carlos Barrera, she revealed that the agents did not inquire about her immigration status before detaining her. “They just grabbed her and put her into one of the vans,” Barrera recounted. The agents had no warrant for her arrest, and despite her being undocumented, Barrera emphasized that they could not have known her status before detaining her or the 29 other individuals rounded up that day.
Barrera believes that the agents’ actions were influenced by racial bias. “She has dark skin. They assumed she was Hispanic, and they took her,” he said, pointing to the underlying issue of racial profiling in these immigration enforcement actions. Advocates for immigrant rights and civil rights lawyers are increasingly voicing concerns that immigration agents under the Trump administration are engaging in widespread racial profiling, specifically targeting Latino workers. Reports indicate that agents have been conducting raids in areas known to employ a significant number of Latino individuals, such as hardware store parking lots, car washes, and street vendor locations.
Videos shared on social media depict immigration agents detaining individuals who appear Latino while they are simply waiting for public transportation or standing on sidewalks. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other legal organizations have responded by filing a federal class action lawsuit, asserting that immigration enforcement operations are unconstitutional and based solely on the individuals' skin color or perceived occupation. “There is a real sense that it is open season on anyone who appears to be an immigrant,” stated Eva Bitran, director of immigrants' rights at the ACLU of Southern California. She noted that agents frequently handcuff individuals even before verifying their immigration status, disregarding claims of citizenship or lawful residency.
In response to allegations of racial profiling, Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), categorically denied that immigration agents target individuals based on race. “Any claims that individuals have been 'targeted' by law enforcement because of their skin color are disgusting and categorically FALSE,” she stated. McLaughlin added that DHS enforcement operations are precise and that agents are trained to ask pertinent questions to ascertain a person's immigration status.
However, legal experts argue that the tactics employed by immigration agents may violate constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizure as outlined in the Fourth Amendment. Under federal law, immigration agents are permitted to question individuals about their immigration status but must have reasonable suspicion before making public arrests without a warrant. This reasonable suspicion must be based on specific, articulable facts, rather than assumptions based on appearance. “It can't just be based on race,” emphasized Jean Reisz, a professor of immigration law at the University of Southern California.
Advocates argue that the ambitious arrest quotas set by the Trump administration are pressuring immigration agents to compromise their standards for establishing reasonable suspicion. “If you're asking these law enforcement agencies to arrest 3,000 people a day, they cannot form reasonable suspicion for each specific person,” Bitran explained, suggesting that this leads to shortcuts and reliance on unfounded assumptions about individuals’ legal status.
Earlier this year, the ACLU succeeded in convincing a federal judge in Central California that Border Patrol agents had violated constitutional rights during raids that predominantly targeted individuals based on their Latino appearance, resulting in the wrongful detention of U.S. citizens.
On June 12, another incident underscored the troubling implications of these enforcement actions. Javier Ramirez was at his uncle's auto junkyard in the predominantly Latino city of Montebello when he was approached by agents from a white, unmarked SUV. Security footage shows agents swiftly exiting the vehicle, donning face coverings, and advancing on Ramirez. In a recorded confrontation, Ramirez protested his treatment, asserting his U.S. citizenship and producing his passport. Despite confirming his citizenship, agents charged him with assaulting a federal officer.
Ramirez's brother, Abimael Dominguez, witnessed the event and expressed disbelief at the agents' actions. “There's a lot of Hispanic brothers right here, but everyone working in the yard that day was a U.S. citizen,” he stated, labeling the incident as a clear case of racial profiling. Ramirez has since been released on bail, but Dominguez fears the repercussions of their experience, highlighting the pervasive anxiety among communities facing such aggressive immigration enforcement.
The ongoing situation in Los Angeles illustrates the broader implications of immigration policies that disproportionately affect Latino communities and raises critical questions about the legality and ethics of current enforcement practices.
