Summary:
-
Kim Kardashian criticizes ICE raids, denouncing them as inhumane and harmful to hardworking immigrants. Her comments echo wider concern.
-
Kardashian questions narrative of ICE raids targeting criminals only, highlighting impact on innocent, hardworking individuals.
-
Department of Homeland Security responds harshly to Kardashian’s comments, challenging her stance with mugshots of violent criminal detainees.
Kim Kardashian publicly denounced President Trump’s intensified Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, calling the enforcement actions “inhumane” and criticizing their impact on hardworking immigrants—many of whom she said have helped build the country. Her comments have echoed wider concern from local officials, celebrities, and civil rights advocates.
While accepting the Leadership Award at the DVF Awards in Venice in late August, Kim Kardashian questioned the narrative portraying raids as focused solely on criminals.
“In the news, you hear, ‘Oh, it’s about people who have committed these crimes and they’re trying to help out our country.’ But then you hear about all of the people who have worked so hard to build our country, and so many people who are such a part of our country are getting affected. People I know. People my friends know.”
Kim Kardashian speaks out against ICE amid their mass deportation raids in LA:
“When we witness innocent, hardworking people being ripped from their families in inhumane ways, we have to speak up. We have to do what’s right.” pic.twitter.com/gwzsneXCjV
— Pop Base (@PopBase) June 11, 2025
That follows a June Instagram Story in which she wrote: “When we witness innocent, hardworking people being ripped from their families in inhumane ways, we have to speak up. We have to do what’s right… We can’t turn a blind eye when fear and injustice keep people from living their lives freely and safely. There HAS to be a BETTER way.”
These remarks mark a notable shift from her earlier connections with certain Trump administration figures—she had worked on prison‑reform issues within the White House and maintained friendly relations with Ivanka Trump and others.
The response from the Department of Homeland Security was harsh. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin posted on X (formerly Twitter) what appeared to be a direct challenge:
ADVERTISEMENT
.@KimKardashian, which one of these convicted child molesters, murderers, drug traffickers and rapists would you like to stay in the county?
These are just a few of the convicted illegal criminals who have been picked up in the last 72 hours. https://t.co/bauJUKbulk pic.twitter.com/VAtpNwHmeD
— Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) June 11, 2025
Her post included mugshots of several detainees with violent criminal histories.
McLaughlin’s remarks reflect the administration’s overall framing of these raids as targeting the “worst of the worst.” Yet critics have noted that data suggest only about one‑third of those detained have criminal records.
Kardashian is far from the only public figure raising an alarm. In Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass condemned the raids back in June, saying the federal tactics “sow terror in our communities” and reaffirming that the city “will not stand for this.” California Gov. Gavin Newsom went further, blasting Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard as “reckless” and “purposefully inflammatory,” while urging demonstrators to keep protests peaceful.
The backlash has spread beyond California. In Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order preventing local police from working with immigration agents, framing the move as a stand against federal overreach.
Celebrities are speaking out as well. At the 2025 BET Awards, rapper Doechii used her acceptance speech to denounce the government’s crackdown on Los Angeles protests, calling the response “ruthless” and questioning why peaceful dissent was met with militarized force. On the global stage, Shakira weighed in during a recent interview, describing the raids as “painful to see” and stressing the importance of compassion and unity.
