Newly released court documents show that ICE agents deployed to the Los Angeles area last summer used racial slurs to refer to the subjects of their immigration operations. On 4 July 2025, an unidentified agent wrote in a text chain, 'btw tonks everywhere selling food for the 4th festivities in long beach right now,' invoking an anti-immigrant slur previously warned against by the US border patrol. In another message on 2 July 2025, an agent wrote: 'Some of these people are stupid. Why would you post on social media that you're wet,' using an abbreviated version of a slur long used to denigrate undocumented Mexicans who cross the Rio Grande.
Slurs revealed in court filing
The slurs 'tonks' and 'wet' appeared in multiple correspondences. They were made public on Monday in a motion filed for a case brought by five men against the Trump administration in June 2025. The men allege that ICE agents' stop-and-arrest practices during the Los Angeles raids were unlawful. Lawyers for the men have requested a federal judge bar further detention stops based on race or socioeconomic status.
Arrests and allegations
In June 2025, three of the plaintiffs were arrested while waiting at a bus stop to be picked up for work. A fourth plaintiff had his arm twisted and was pushed against a gate during questioning by masked immigration agents, even as he explained he was a US citizen. Maya Joachin, deputy director of immigrants' rights at the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, said in a press release the records evidenced 'a pattern of racial profiling.' She added: 'Immigration officers are flagrantly violating the law by detaining people without justification and often primarily because of the color of their skin.'
Witness account
Angel Santiago Tafolla, an Anaheim resident and US citizen not among the plaintiffs, said in a court declaration that ICE agents swept through a car wash he worked at in Orange County. He was handcuffed and put in a van before they realized he was an American citizen. 'Other co-workers who are light-skinned also ran, but they were not chased. I feel that I was chased because I am a darker-skinned Latino,' Tafolla said.
ICE officer deposition
In a December deposition, an ICE officer who led the bus stop operation suggested individuals loitering for work were flagged as possibly undocumented. He described their appearance as 'older Hispanic males.' The raids drew strong backlash from city and state officials. Tensions escalated when Donald Trump sent the national guard to Los Angeles, citing a need to 'liberate' the city from a 'migrant invasion,' as protests erupted against ICE's presence.
A spokesperson for the homeland security department said in a statement to CalMatters: 'Our agents are focused on protecting the American people – not entertaining performative outrage.' The DHS did not immediately return the Guardian's request for comment.
