New York’s Latino Communities ‘Under Siege’ by ICE’s Racial Profiling, Lawsuit Says

ICE’s latest immigration crackdown in New York isn’t just aggressive—it’s a calculated campaign of racial profiling and illegal arrests targeting Latino communities. A lawsuit filed by the Legal Aid Society, the New York Civil Liberties Union, Make the Road New York, and others exposes how ICE agents have been “marauding” the streets, stopping and detaining Latinos without warrants or probable cause.

Two recent cases highlight the pattern: A.M.C. was arrested outside his Bushwick apartment after work, and X.P.F. was grabbed inside a Queens deli. Both men are Latino and were taken without warrants or any legitimate justification, according to the lawsuit. This violates the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, as well as ICE’s own rules requiring probable cause before warrantless arrests.

Paige Austin, an attorney with Make the Road New York, describes ICE’s tactics as “wandering around, stopping people who are Latino,” a practice that has left communities living “under siege.” Families don’t know where their loved ones are after arrests—X.P.F.’s family only found out when his stepdaughter was told by a street vendor that ICE had taken her father. Despite legal efforts, X.P.F. remains detained, forcing his daughter to become the family breadwinner and straining their lives in countless ways.

This wave of enforcement isn’t limited to New York City. From Buffalo to the city, immigrant and Latino communities face increased raids and arrests. The lawsuit details how people have stopped attending church, changed shopping habits, and limit time outside for fear of ICE encounters. Hasan Shafiqullah, a supervising attorney with The Legal Aid Society, says plaintiffs are “anxious and nervous when stepping outside.”

The human toll goes beyond fear. One detainee, F.R.P., reportedly was denied thyroid medication and told to “drink from the toilet” while in ICE custody. This is not just law enforcement—it is state-sponsored harassment and cruelty.

During Trump’s second term alone, ICE made 811 “collateral” arrests in New York—the kind of random, unjustified detentions that tear communities apart. But as Austin points out, most of those targeted in this lawsuit were not collateral—they were stopped solely because they are Latino.

This lawsuit shines a harsh light on ICE’s continued abuse of power, racial profiling, and disregard for constitutional rights. It’s a call to action for anyone who believes that no one should live in fear of being snatched from their daily lives simply because of their race or immigration status.

We will be watching closely as this case unfolds. ICE’s reign of terror in New York’s Latino neighborhoods must end.

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