As tensions over US immigration policy continue to simmer, an explosive investigation has shed light on a disturbing pattern of enforcement tactics by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in New York and New Jersey. The probe, conducted by The City Reporter, reveals that a staggering 93% of street arrests made by ICE agents between October 2025 and March 2026 targeted individuals from Latin American countries – a disparity that has left residents across the region feeling anxious and fearful.
While undocumented immigrants in the area are predominantly Latino, making up approximately 66%, the findings suggest that ICE is focusing on these communities at an alarming rate. Many of these arrests occurred in everyday situations, with individuals being detained while going about their daily lives – buying groceries, walking pets, or collecting children from school.
The investigation identified 430 street arrests in lawsuits filed during this five-month period, with a significant concentration in predominantly Latino areas such as Passaic and Plainfield in New Jersey, and Brentwood and Hempstead on Long Island. Within New York City itself, 81 street arrests were recorded, with Corona in Queens experiencing the highest number.
Unlike other forms of immigration enforcement, these street arrests often take place rapidly and out of public view, frequently on quiet residential streets. Accounts from lawsuits detail instances where agents stopped individuals based on a perceived resemblance to someone with a warrant, only to apprehend them regardless of confirming their identity. The surprise nature of these encounters has reportedly left immigrants feeling as though they were being kidnapped, with some alleging that officers used Taser guns, smashed car windows, and even shouted racial slurs, such as 'maldito Mexicano' ('f***ing Mexican').
The increase in street arrests, which were reportedly uncommon in New York City before the second Trump administration, has led to legal challenges. Lawyers argue that these tactics violate the US Constitution, while federal judges have increasingly criticised ICE's methods as illegal. The City Reporter's findings emerge as a federal judge has now restricted most ICE arrests at immigration courthouses in New York City – although a White House 'border czar' has reportedly threatened to intensify enforcement in other Democratic-run cities.
The difficulty in tracking these arrests, combined with federal immigration data not distinguishing street arrests from other types, necessitated The City Reporter's detailed review of emergency habeas corpus petitions. These lawsuits, which have surged in response to the administration's enforcement campaign, provided crucial details on the locations, circumstances, and demographics of those arrested – highlighting that street arrests were far more prevalent than immigration court arrests in this period.