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 that ICE tends to target one community (Hispanic/Latinx), is evidently true. The Brookings article on this topic is a good argument in support, and other sources seem to back up this claim as well. According to Salud Carbajal, ICE made more than 16,000 arrests of immigrants with no criminal convictions, and Latinos made up 90% of those arrests. Another source explains how during the first six months of President Trump's second administration, "arrests in Latino communities have increased sharply without any evidence linking many of these arrests to higher crime levels." (Mountain Democrat).

Sources:

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

https://www.mtdemocrat.com/news/state/latino-ice-arrests-have-skyrocketed-since-january-report-shows/article_4f4019d1-9119-5e02-897a-e11a855e0f94.html

Answer 2

Yes, ICE is targeting Latinos, especially in recent times. This is supported by the UCLA article, which reports a significant increase from approximately 276 arrests per day in January 2024 to around 558 arrests per day. These numbers show a dramatic increase in Latinos being arrested. Brookings.edu further provides evidence that this increase is directly related to Latino targeting by showing statistics that show how the Supreme Court ruling that allows ICE to profile is affecting most of the Hispanic population. The criteria for a stop are as follows: the type of location where they were found, the type of job they appeared to be working, whether they speak Spanish or English with an accent, and their apparent race or ethnicity. The article mentions that, despite not being undocumented, it is estimated that 75% of Latinos can speak Spanish well. This put a large population in the light to be targeted by ICE, as ICE is allowed to profile based on key components of heritage, such as language.

Sources:

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

https://luskin.ucla.edu/ucla-report-finds-latino-arrests-by-ice-have-skyrocketed-under-the-trump-administrations-second-term

Answer 3

Claim: ICE racially profiles mainly the Hispanic/Latinx community.

After researching this claim, I found it to be true based on recent reports and legal rulings. According to NPR and the American Immigration Council, a 2025 supreme court decision allows ICE agents to consider race and ethnicity as a part of their justification for immigration stops. This ruling has raised serious concerns about racial profiling, since it mainly affects the Hispanic and Latinx community who are more likely to be targeted during these enforcement operations. The American Immigration Council explains that the decision removed restrictions that were meant to prevent agents from stopping people solely based on their appearance or language. While ICE’s work can involve other immigrant groups, evidence shows that Hispanic groups experience the greatest impact. Therefore, the claim that ICE mainly profiles this demographic and it is supported by data and analysis.

Links:

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