ICE arrested Latinos at disproportionate rates in NY/NJ street sweeps, federal judges find racial profiling
Jun 21, 2026 · New York, NY

An investigation analyzing over 1,200 lawsuits found that ICE agents conducted 430 street arrests across the New York and New Jersey metro area between October 2025 and March 2026, with 93% of arrests targeting Latinos despite them comprising only 66% of the undocumented immigrant population in the region. The arrests occurred in predominantly Latino neighborhoods including Corona in Queens, Passaic and Plainfield in New Jersey, and Brentwood and Hempstead on Long Island, often with agents detaining people based on appearance while claiming to search for other individuals. Twenty-nine documented incidents involved alleged use of force. Federal judges have increasingly ruled the arrests unconstitutional and criticized ICE's tactics as racial profiling that violates Fourth Amendment protections from unreasonable search and seizure. Immigrant advocates have filed class action lawsuits challenging the practices.
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