Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents used racial slurs such as 'tonks' and 'wet' to refer to Latinos during immigration operations in Los Angeles, according to court files.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California filed a motion for preliminary injunction to halt allegedly race-based stops. Videos obtained by the ACLU SoCal show federal immigration officers using racial slurs to refer to Latinos at traffic stops.
Evidence from texts and body cameras
On 4 July 2025, an unidentified ICE agent wrote in a text chain: 'btw tonks everywhere selling food for the 4th festivities in long beach right now.' The term 'tonk' is described as a derogatory term referring to the sound of a flashlight striking a migrant's head.
In body camera footage, an ICE agent is heard making this statement. On 2 July 2025, another ICE agent wrote: 'Some of these people are stupid. Why would you post on social media that you’re wet.' The term 'wet' is derived from the racial slur 'wetback'.
Allegations of unlawful detention
Sources disagree on whether the lawsuit against the Trump administration was filed in June or July 2025 by individuals alleging unlawful stops. Angel Santiago Tafolla, a US citizen, stated in a court declaration that he was handcuffed and placed in a van by ICE agents at a car wash before they realized he was a US citizen.
The plaintiffs argue the stops violate the Fourth and Fifth Amendments. Maya Joachin, whose name is also recorded as Mayra Joachim in records, deputy director of immigrants' rights at ACLU SoCal, said: 'Immigration officers are flagrantly violating the law by detaining people without justification and often primarily because of the color of their skin.'
Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, said: 'The evidence doesn't lie: these arrests were never about safety, they were about skin color.' Teresa Romero, president of the United Farm Workers, said: 'Farm workers go to work afraid they may not come home, even as they put food on all of our tables.'
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said: 'Our agents are focused on protecting the American people – not entertaining performative outrage.' According to one source, US District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong (or Maame E. Frimpong) issued a temporary restraining order barring stops based solely on race, which was reportedly later lifted by the US Supreme Court.