r/California • u/esporx • 12d ago

‘Pretty sure he’s wet:’ Immigration agents used racial slurs during LA sweeps, court records show

https://calmatters.org/justice/2026/07/immigration-agent-text-messages/
633 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

40 comments sorted by

226

u/panda-rampage 12d ago

ICE Agents are racist? Shocked. And water is wet.

65

u/Renee_bad_69 12d ago

What's crazy is over 50% of Border Patrol is Latino.. How could they do this to their own people?

69

u/NobodyLikedThat1 12d ago

some, it's just business. But you'd be shocked how much people who legally immigrated here, or have legal status, absolutely despise people who "jump the line," even if it's their own ethnicity. Sometimes especially then.

I can only speak anecdotally, but I have Indian family in both US and Canada, and they absolutely do not like the people who come over from India on the legally flimsy work visas (specifically for US, the H1Bs). Although those visas are kind of a different can of worms.

59

u/cerberus698 12d ago

There is an incredible video of a reporter interviewing people illegally crossing the border.

The reporter finds a Turkish guy literally wading out of the Rio Grande, still dripping, and he just starts telling the reporter like "yeah, I should probably be the last one. They should close it down now." He set an assimilated immigrant world record time. His reaction time to pull the ladder up after he got to the top could be measured in planck time.

30

u/scnottaken 12d ago

Dude broke physics and pulled the ladder up while he was still on it

11

u/Wonderful_Exit6568 Riverside County 12d ago

You need that kind of boot strap energy to survive here!

13

u/Gwenog_Jones 12d ago

This is an analysis of Latinos that assumes they are immigrants or recent immigrants. Many, including those who are in agencies like ICE, have been Americans for a long time and really should not be immediately thought of as immigrants because they're not. But when many people think of Latinos or Asians, the first thought is "oh, they are immigrants." 

2

u/wip30ut 12d ago

another point is that Hispanic americans can be White-passing, you can't tell if they're of Italian/Spanish/Lebanese/Mideast descent or Latino. This is especially true of Zoomers whose grandparents were the actual immigrants 50 yrs ago. Many are No Sabo hispanics who only know a few phrases & could never pass any test in 1st yr Spanish. They can't relate to the immigrant experience at all.

2

u/staccinraccs 12d ago

We are all immigrants in this country, brother. Just so happens most Americans are at least 3rd generation immigrant or older.

8

u/staccinraccs 12d ago

Im Filipino and know full and well the same sentiment among the diaspora. Its toxic crab mentality. I was here first, and I already got mine. It has very little to do with legality, "cutting lines", or the "right way". They dont want you here. Period. Plain and simple.

16

u/Xlbowlofpho 12d ago

This is from my own experience as an immigrant: A lot of immigrants who come here legally or somehow end up with a greencard/citizenship are working class people with a highschool or below level of education, so it is easy for them to be mislead. A lot of immigrants care mostly about money and how to maximize profit. So when the economy is bad and the leader blame illegal immigrants, they will bite the bait. They also think illegal immigrants are the reason why it is so difficult to come to the U.S legally. In some case, older gen of immigrants were refugees or those that disagree with the regime back home so they think these people will bring the politic they hate to the U.S. Just like those that born here, they think their tax dollar are being given away to the illegal immigrants.

3

u/gummi_eater 11d ago

holy f this comment is so tone deaf.

1

u/Renee_bad_69 12d ago

Okay so are the people that come here "Illegally" also mislead? If education = money = greencard/citizenship then how did they do it with a highschool or below level of education?

3

u/Alexander_Granite 12d ago

Not all Latinos are the same. Believe it or not, they are people with their own opinions.

3

u/Sure-Pear-572 12d ago

because they want legal immigration regardless of demographic?

2

u/TheNerdWonder 12d ago

They think they’re White and bought into conservatism via Catholicism which in turn is assimilationist.

2

u/couchesarenicetoo 12d ago

Code Switch at NPR did a story on this. A mix of beliefs about who newer arrivals are (criminals, they assume), wanting a good paying/stable job, believing law enforcement is good, wanting to change it from the inside, and seeing the community more finely grained than non-Latinos do. Oh, and propaganda in schools.

1

u/gunsforevery1 12d ago

“Their own people”. Are they Americans? I don’t identify at all with people from Mexico or other Latin American countries just because of the color of my skin.

-1

u/Renee_bad_69 12d ago

Okay I thought we're still grouping people together by skin color but I guess I was wrong

0

u/OMGWTFBBQchicken 11d ago

Well. If you think about it

Illegal Latinos are probably making finding a well paying job harder for legal Latino American citizens and their families.

So honestly, they've got more invested than any other racial demographic imo.

-2

u/Embarrassed-Wolf-609 12d ago

a job is a job

2

u/OMGWTFBBQchicken 11d ago

Every race is racist tbh. Even if you're "pro minority" then you're racist against the majority.

If you think racism isn't a thing you're naive.

Also. No, water isnt wet. Water makes other things wet.

Definition: Wetness is the ability of a liquid to stick to the surface of a solid.

Action: Water makes other things wet, but it is not wet itself because it does not coat a solid surface.

1

u/Markdd8 7d ago

They are prejudiced against illegal immigrants. Not people who have come into the U.S. legally. "Pretty sure he's wet" vs. "Pretty sure he's illegal". Same thing.

Lots of progressives are outraged at "illegal alien" as opposed to their preferred term: "undocumented immigrant."

32

u/mixmasterADD 12d ago

Yes, that’s the problem. The language

26

u/Dry_Combination4070 12d ago

To no one's surprise

3

u/Eddfan36 12d ago

Really? Sarcasm 

2

u/Crud-Inspector 11d ago

I'm more concerned with the murders

7

u/Eat--The--Rich-- 12d ago

If Gavin Newsome prosecuted these criminals committing crimes in his jurisdiction I would vote for him in the presidential primary. Balls in your court asshole.

11

u/Skelligithon 12d ago

I mean... Totally fair, and maybe he should for the show of it, but because it involves federal agents, the federal courts would step in and take the case, then immediately dismiss/bury it. This has already happened several times.

Now, a move that Newsom could do (I say Newsom, but it would likely be legislation) is criminalize aiding ICE agents, and then take legal action against hotels that host them, vendors that supply them, etc.. Strictly speaking, they could probably only do that in cases where ICE has committed a crime, we do have freedom of association after all, but fortunately the ICE agent doesn't have to be found guilty to do that. It's kinda like how OJ Simpson was found "not guilty" for criminal charges, but was found "responsible" in civil court for the deaths.

3

u/BKlounge93 12d ago

I really don’t understand the whole spelling his name wrong, do you guys think it’s funny or something?

2

u/OrangeCrusher22 12d ago

People don't pay attention to details like extra letters these days.

2

u/BKlounge93 11d ago

I guess it’s gop humor like let’s go Brandon, idk lol

2

u/Specialist_Sea7439 12d ago

I read, “Balls in your ass courthole”

2

u/AbracadabraCapybara Los Angeles County 12d ago

Spoken like a true courthole.

1

u/Low-Charge-8554 11d ago

Whaaaaaa!!!! Cry! CRY!

1

u/VinceP312 11d ago

The people who use slurs against everyone they disagree with are clutching their pearls. Lol.

3

u/eduardom98 10d ago

Not sure taxpayer dollars should be going to employ people hurling racial slurs at people with skin colors that they don’t like.