September 8, 2025
A Statement from Brenda Victoria Castillo, President & CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC)
Today, the Supreme Court granted a request from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem to temporarily lift a lower court’s decision prohibiting federal immigration agents from stopping community members without reasonable suspicion. With this temporary decision, SCOTUS has sent the American people a clear message: the highest court in the land will capitulate to President Trump’s corrupt, inhumane immigration tirade by all means necessary–even allowing the torment of innocent people. NHMC denounces the court’s decision and calls on all Americans to protect our inalienable and Constitutional right to live without harassment from our government based on the color of our skin, the language of our tongue, or the ancestry of our heritage.
In recent months, several advocacy organizations and individuals have brought suit against DHS for widespread violation of the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. Particularly in its occupation and terrorizing of Los Angeles, ICE and its gang of “officers” have habitually racially profiled people–regardless of their citizenship or immigration status–based on their appearance, location, or language spoken. As two lower courts affirmed earlier this year, these are illegal methods of stopping and/or detaining people under the Constitution of the United States.
Today, the Supreme Court essentially paused the effects of the lower court decisions, giving ICE and DHS a green light to target Latinos, immigrants, and people of color for their perceived ethnicity, race, or association. Because of this reckless decision, more than 44 million Spanish speakers across the United States are now at risk of being legally racially profiled. These are practices of a police state, not a democracy. While this is a direct attack on our Latino community today, it will not stop with us. They are already moving to harass other demographics, seeking to threaten the dignity and humanity of anyone who dares to fight back while our democracy is ripped to shreds. We cannot sit back while our loved ones are deemed “illegal” for simply existing.
It’s not too late to speak out. It’s not too late to join the movement to save our democracy and our beloved community. We call on all elected officials, people in positions of power, community leaders, and the general public to demand an end to Trump’s occupation of Los Angeles, the District of Columbia, or any other city, and an end to this inhumane practice of mass deportation. For those looking for resources, NHMC offers the guide, Empowering Yourself: Know Your Rights.
Yours in the Movement,
Brenda Victoria Castillo
President & CEO
National Hispanic Media Coalition
