Racial Profiling: Daily Terror of Being An Immigrant and Now, ICE Is Abducting Black Americans

Everyday Racial Profiling

The ugliness and injustice of racial profiling has always been a persistent problem in the U.S., but now, has now reached new unprecedented levels.

Full disclosure, I am not a scholar or academic in the space of racial profiling and I do not have the lived experience, but I have eyes, I cannot unsee what I am seeing and we all must talk about what’s happening. This requires attention and action.

Right now in this country, the sheer terror of being in this country if you dare to be authentically yourself is devastating. Whether you are an immigrant, a person of color or English-as-a-second language speaker, profiling is now a constant threat.

We have all seen the terrorizing tactics of ICE illegally entering homes, businesses and farms without a warrant, even though a warrant is clearly required by the fourth amendment.

Many immigrants face a constant state of anxiety about their safety, especially regarding potential encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This fear is rooted in the possibility of sudden detention or deportation and illegal abduction to other countries, which has devastating effects on individuals and families.

All of which is based in racial profiling. ICE feels free to pick up anyone as they see fit based on their attire, their presentation, the language they speak, the color of their skin, the area they live in and the job they have, all under the auspices of having “probable cause.”
ICE is now stretching “probable cause” into ludicrous directions. Yet, ICE is frequently unwilling to show evidence of "probable cause.”

According to the Migration Policy Institute, there are approximately 47 million immigrants living in the United States, making up about 14% of the total population. Among them, an estimated 11 million are undocumented, living under the constant threat of enforcement actions, some of whom are working hard and going through a legal process to become documented. In fact, as they participate in their lawful processes to become documented or a citizen, they are being stalked and picked up outside courthouses by ICE.

These fears are fueled by stories of family members and community members who have been detained unexpectedly. Immigrants often live in silent dread, afraid of losing their homes, their jobs, or even their lives, simply because of their immigration status.

While there is no question, longer term, we must create better, stronger and expedited paths to legal documentation, we have the immediate fire of racial profiling, constant abduction, detention and deportation to contend with today.

Reach out to these organizations if you know someone who is in need of help:
Numerous organizations work tirelessly to support immigrants and advocate for their rights. For example, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), and the Immigrant Defense Project provide legal assistance and resources. Local organizations like the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and other community-based groups also play vital roles in providing support and safeguarding immigrant rights.
Advocacy and community support are crucial in the fight against fear and repression, but the need for comprehensive immigration reform that prioritizes safety, dignity, and human rights is urgent.

Racial Profiling Has Always Been A Problem, Now It’s Happening Much More Frequently

According to advocacy groups, Black American citizens are being mistakenly and unlawfully detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) due to racial profiling and aggressive enforcement tactics. This has resulted in U.S. citizens being subjected to invasive raids, detention, and at times, physical force.

While the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officially denies these claims, recent incidents and legal challenges indicate the problem persists.

Racial profiling and recent raids

• Targeting Black and Brown communities: An October 2025 statement by the NAACP condemned an ICE raid in Chicago, calling it an “egregious attack” on Black and Brown communities. The raid occurred in the largely Black South Shore neighborhood and involved agents in unmarked trucks, a helicopter, and aggressive door-to-door detentions. It ripped apart families and terrorized children.
  • Disproportionate arrests: Black people in the U.S. are arrested at a rate 2.5 times higher than their white counterparts, even for similar rates of criminal activity.
  • Routine traffic stops: The pipeline often begins with routine police interactions, like traffic stops, which can trigger ICE involvement and lead to detention and deportation proceedings for Black migrants.
  • Systemic issues: Activists argue that this pipeline, which involves police and ICE, disproportionately impacts both Black migrants and Black citizens, highlighting interconnected issues of police brutality and biased enforcement.
• Indiscriminate stops: A recent Supreme Court decision has been deeply criticized for clearing the way for agents to use race and other profiling factors when conducting immigration stops in Los Angeles. Critics warn that such rulings make it easier for agents to target individuals based on their appearance, disproportionately affecting Latino and Black residents.
• Mistaken identity: A U.S. citizen in Alabama, Leonardo Garcia Venegas, sued DHS in October 2025 after being detained twice by agents who allegedly targeted him based on his race and job. According to his lawyers, the agents ignored his claim of citizenship and a valid REAL ID. In another case, Black U.S. citizens were reportedly detained and put in zip ties during a Chicago apartment raid in October 2025 as well as other occasions in multiple cities.

Factors contributing to erroneous arrests

• Increased enforcement: According to the National Immigration Law Center, the Trump administration has ramped up immigration enforcement efforts to unprecedented levels, increasing the risk of collateral arrests that sweep up citizens. They have been given quotas and are required to fulfill them.
• Lack of due process: Civil rights groups allege that during raids, agents often fail to respect constitutional rights by ignoring citizenship claims and not verifying documentation. In some cases, individuals are allegedly detained until they can prove their innocence, rather than agents first proving probable cause.
• Racial bias in criminal justice: Black immigrants are disproportionately targeted by the U.S. criminal justice system, which then places them in the “jail to ICE detention to deportation” pipeline. This increased contact with law enforcement puts Black people, including citizens, at higher risk of being flagged and detained by ICE.

Official government denials
DHS officials deny these allegations, claiming their enforcement operations are “highly targeted” and do not result in the arrest or detention of U.S. citizens. According to a DHS statement from October 2025, any U.S. citizens who are arrested are involved in obstructing or assaulting law enforcement, not due to their immigration status.

What Can Be Done: Be Loud and Act

Take legal and political action

• Report civil rights violations. Use official channels to file complaints with oversight bodies within the government.
  • Call the media in your town: Make certain you provide facts, photos or videos to local and national news sources if you see racial profiling.
  • Call your municipal and state civil rights agencies and nonprofits to report racial profiling.
• Challenge practices in court. Support or join lawsuits filed by immigrants’ rights organizations that challenge ICE’s enforcement tactics, including racial profiling, as unconstitutional.
  • Top nonprofit civil rights legal organizations include the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, focusing on racial justice litigation; the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which defends and preserves individual rights and liberties for all Americans; the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry; and the Brennan Center for Justice, which works to reform the justice system and strengthen democracy.
  • AILA: American Immigration Lawyers Association, https://www.aila.org/about
• Support protective local policies. Urge local leaders to refuse to participate in programs which allow ICE to deputize local law enforcement for immigration enforcement, and to adopt “safe city” ordinances.
• Demand accountability from elected officials. Pressure elected officials at all levels to address ICE abuses and push for changes to enforcement policies, especially in the wake of recent court rulings that may expand racial profiling.

Document and expose racial profiling

• Record and report ICE activity. When safe to do so, document ICE enforcement actions with your phone and note details.
• Support reporting efforts. Help immigrant rights groups by verifying information about ICE activity, as they advise against posting unverified information directly on social media.

Educate and organize your community

• Hold “Know Your Rights” workshops. Partner with immigrants’ rights organizations to host workshops that inform community members of their constitutional rights when interacting with ICE, regardless of immigration status.
• Establish rapid response networks. Create or support local rapid response hotlines to mobilize legal support and track enforcement actions in real time.
• Build an inclusive community. Work to create a safe and welcoming environment for all residents and counter misinformation or fear-mongering about immigrants.

Donate and volunteer

• Fund legal defense. Support organizations that provide legal aid to immigrants who are facing deportation or challenging illegal ICE practices.
• Help with essential needs. Donate to or volunteer with local and national groups that provide food, shelter, and other support services to immigrant families impacted by raids and detention.

Okay, let’s keep going folks.
Please come to my Livestream Show with Ezra Levin, CEO of Indivisible to talk about the state of activism, progress and the new steps being taken to fight fascism - tonight at 7pm CST, here on Substack:
https://open.substack.com/live...