Monique Rodriguez, a Jamaican-born mother living in Florida, never imagined a family dispute would end with her deportation. But just two weeks after giving birth via C-section, she found herself detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), despite being married to a U.S. citizen and having a pending green card application.
“I was just taken away from the child. I was leaking breast milk, still bleeding, and on medication — and I didn’t get those back,” she said.
Rodriguez’s story is not an isolated incident. Since Donald Trump’s return to office, ICE raids have ramped up across the country, sweeping up immigrants — including many Black migrants — often for minor offenses or mere police contact. According to advocates, Black immigrants are disproportionately targeted, even though they make up just 7% of the immigrant population. Alarmingly, they represent 20% of those deported for criminal convictions, with Caribbean migrants like Jamaicans facing even higher rates of deportation.
“Seventy-six percent of Black migrants are deported because of contact with police,” said Nana Gyamfi, Executive Director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration. “For Jamaicans, it’s 98% higher.”
While public attention often focuses on Latino immigrants during immigration crackdowns, Black immigrants remain largely invisible in the national conversation — despite being among the hardest hit. Cultural assumptions, racial profiling, and systemic anti-Blackness in both law enforcement and immigrant communities contribute to their exclusion from protests and support networks.
Rodriguez, now back in Jamaica, was deported on her 30th birthday. She recalls other detained mothers in the Louisiana ICE facility who were also torn from their children. “They’re just taking you away from your kids,” she said. “Some of the kids end up in foster care or are missing.”
A Growing Rift Between Communities
Following the June 6 ICE protests in Los Angeles, tensions rose between Latino and Black communities. Some Black Americans questioned why they should protest for Latino immigrants when anti-Black sentiment is often unaddressed within Latino spaces. TikTok creator Alexander Duncan voiced his frustration: “Latinos have been completely silent when Black people are getting deported. Now it impacts them, and they want Black people at the front lines.”
Activist and law student Cesar Flores noted the contradiction: “Despite Latinos suffering from deportations, 48% of them voted for Trump, who’s deporting us all.”
This divide underscores a long-standing lack of solidarity rooted in colorism and systemic anti-Blackness, according to advocates. While many Latinos fear deportation, Black immigrants say they’ve long borne the brunt of immigration enforcement, especially under Trump’s aggressive policies.
Invisible and Misunderstood
Creators like Anayka She, a Black Panamanian TikToker, are working to raise awareness about Black immigrant experiences, especially in places like Los Angeles — home to one of the largest Belizean communities in the U.S. “If I didn’t tell you I was Panamanian, you could assume I was any other ethnicity,” she said. “They depict immigration one way, but I wanted to show what it’s like being visibly Black.”
The problem goes beyond raids. Racial profiling has led to wrongful detentions of U.S. citizens, such as Peter Sean Brown in Florida, and Jermaine Thomas, who was deported to Jamaica despite having lived in the U.S. his entire life. Even real IDs are dismissed as fake when carried by Black immigrants.
Bigger Implications in a Changing Political Climate
With ICE detaining citizen children, separating families, and allegedly operating without due process, immigration lawyers say these actions signal authoritarian overreach. “This is what authoritarianism looks like,” said Rep. Maxine Dexter of Oregon after visiting detained U.S.-born children.
The Trump administration has already announced the removal of Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for Haitians, adding to fears of mass deportations from Black immigrant communities. Meanwhile, ICE detention facilities continue to swell — with over 60,000 people currently held.
As for Rodriguez, she still dreams of returning to the U.S. to see her children grow. But the trauma remains. “I came to America battered and bruised, for a new opportunity. I understand there are laws, but they forced me out,” she said.
Activists warn: If we stay silent, the same system could come for anyone. As Gyamfi put it, “Trump recently floated the idea of sending U.S. citizens to prison colonies. In this climate, anyone can get it.”
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