Law enforcement officers are meant to protect communities from violence. However, as tensions rise over immigration policies, concerns arise about whether those in power act to divide and spread fear.
The Supreme Court’s decision in Perdomo v. Noem allowed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to continue immigration stops in Los Angeles on Sept. 8. This allows immigration officers to continue to enter public areas without permission and arrest people, which can heighten distress in immigrant communities. It also raises controversy over constitutional rights with a lack of reasonable suspicion.
The decision comes with consequences. According to the Supreme Court, ICE agents focus on individuals at bus stops, car washes, day laborer pickup sites, agricultural sites, those who speak Spanish or English with an accent, and those who appear to be a particular race or ethnicity.
Officers let them go free if they find someone to be here legally. But undocumented immigrants can face removal proceedings, or hearings held to determine if they will be deported, which can influence officers to abuse power and exercise excessive force, such as unreasonable seizures.
Such unreasonable seizures can violate the Fifth Amendment, which guarantees that one will have due process of law and has the right to remain silent when questioned. Immigration raids may also violate the 14th Amendment, as everyone gets legal protection under the law regardless of one’s legal status. Because ICE agents arrest based on appearance and databases, it raises questions about whether people are inaccurately detained and if they face arrest due to discrimination.
While the use of force can be good to target undocumented immigrants who commit crimes, treating all undocumented immigrants as dangerous criminals fuels brutality. According to the Department of Justice, being undocumented is a civil penalty, not a crime, meaning an undocumented immigrant will be deported or fined, but not jailed simply due to their status.
The results of coming to the United States undocumented are still significant. In the LA ICE raids in June 2025, approximately 1,168 arrests were made, sparking riots and protests across the city. According to a Congressional Record, President Donald Trump attempted to deploy the National Guard and Marines on anti-deportation protestors this month as a response to the June protests, demonstrating not only how polarized Democrats and Republicans are, but also the people and the federal government. It can establish more distrust and violence, which is the opposite of what immigration raids should do.
Diverse communities like Southern California have become targets for raids. Approximately 10% of the LA region, including Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, is undocumented. ICE may use the statistics to justify stopping these areas, but it leads to more hysteria and division.
But it is not just undocumented immigrants living in unease every day. ICE has a history of arresting, detaining, and deporting legal immigrants and U.S. citizens as well, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. In fact, approximately 71.5% of those detained by ICE have no criminal record. This fuels discrimination, leading to separated neighborhoods and families. With immigrants living in constant fear of being arrested and deported, it raises the question of whether citizens can trust their government to keep them safe.
This creates a disconnect between the people and the officials. While it is good only to have legal immigrants here and protect the citizens of the country, excessive force and redirecting undocumented immigrants to Central America do not solve the problem of more immigrants coming into the country illegally.
To create unity and safe communities, the United States must create an efficient system for those who are fleeing violence and poverty and set eligibility rules.
It is important to follow the rules, but not to impose them excessively.
