People of color accuse ICE of racial discrimination in US immigration raids

Reports of racial profiling by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are increasing as the Trump administration intensifies a new series of immigration sweeps.

Federal agents have reportedly targeted Latino and Somali communities in the Minneapolis area in recent weeks. Approximately 2,000 ICE employees and 800 Customs and Border Protection agents are currently deployed in the region.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and a group of attorneys filed a class-action lawsuit against the Trump administration on Jan. 15. The legal challenge alleges racial profiling and the unlawful arrest of three Minnesota residents and others.

One plaintiff, a U.S. citizen, said masked ICE agents stopped him while he was on his way to lunch. In another incident, agents reportedly demanded legal residency documents from people of color while they were charging electric vehicles.

The reports have led people of color nationwide to change their daily habits to avoid ICE interrogations. Some individuals said they now keep passports next to their beds or carry birth certificates to the supermarket.

The latest shifts in federal immigration tactics signal a significant departure from traditional enforcement, moving away from the targeted execution of specific deportation orders toward profile-based patrolling within minority-dense enclaves. This pivot has fostered a pervasive climate of fear that extends beyond the undocumented population, impacting legal residents and U.S. citizens alike.

From a legal perspective, these operations raise profound concerns regarding Fourth Amendment violations, which protect individuals against unreasonable searches and seizures. The current litigation spearheaded by the ACLU represents a pivotal constitutional challenge to the legality of these broad enforcement mandates.

Beyond the courtroom, the policy implications are equally stark. While such hardline measures may resonate with specific political constituencies, they inflict long-term damage on the relationship between immigrant communities and local law enforcement. When residents perceive they are being targeted based on racial profiling, their willingness to cooperate with authorities diminishes, ultimately undermining public safety and community-wide security. Furthermore, the deployment of masked agents—an inherently aggressive tactic—risks escalating routine encounters into volatile confrontations, further straining an already fragile social fabric.

The climate of fear surrounding ICE enforcement hits the Vietnamese-American community directly. Even when not explicitly targeted, our status as a community of color and immigrants means we often face the threat of racial profiling. The anxiety of being misidentified or subjected to unwarranted questioning has forced many—including naturalized citizens and Green Card holders—to fundamentally alter their daily routines. For mixed-status families, where those on F2B or H-1B visas might live alongside undocumented relatives, the fear of a loved one being swept up in a random encounter is a constant, heavy reality.

This tension ripples through the heart of our community’s economy. In enclaves like Little Saigon, small businesses—from phở restaurants to the nail salon industry—are seeing the impact as both owners and customers become increasingly hesitant to step out. The once-unthinkable practice of carrying a passport or original immigration papers just to go to the market or head to work is now becoming a necessary precaution for many in our community.