Immigration and Customs Enforcement has utilized a Home Depot in Westlake for immigration raids. With Latinos comprising 72% of the neighborhood’s population, Westlake and many other prominent Latino neighborhoods in Los Angeles have seen heavy ICE activity, which may become exacerbated by a recent Supreme Court ruling that grants federal agents the ability to stop and detain individuals based on appearance and workplace.   

Also known as Vasquez Perdomo v. Noem, the temporary ruling will resume federal agents’ jurisdiction over deportation efforts targeting individuals who appear Latino. The ruling legalizes ethnic profiling while depriving constitutional protections. 

“We should not have to live in a country where the Government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low wage job. Rather than stand idly by while our constitutional freedoms are lost, I dissent,” wrote Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina justice, as well as the only one of Latino descent in the Court. 

This ruling arrives at the very moment the city and the University prepare to celebrate Latino Heritage Month, during which the University and various student organizations curate events in celebration of Latino students and their heritage, which will represent a painfully ironic reality for L.A.’s multitude of Latino communities. 

Furthermore, for more than 30 years, the city has hosted El Grito at L.A. City Hall, where the street fills with Mexican flags and performances in honor of Mexican Independence Day. This month serves as a reminder of the contributions Latino Americans have made across USC and L.A. — but for many Latino students, the weight of ICE surrounding their spaces, homes and families shatters the pride that comes with the month. 

For Latino students, balancing academic pressures while carrying the emotional toll of family separation impacts their ability to engage on campus. Nearly 19.5 million Latinos live in mixed-status immigrant families, and as of Fall 2024, Hispanic students constituted nearly 17.1% of USC’s student demographic. 

Some students may find themselves translating immigration news to their parents in the middle of class or carrying the unspoken grief of deported family members.

Year after year, celebrating Latino excellence on campus has been promoted. However, waving Latin American flags while others live in the shadows contradicts the purpose of heritage months. It is a slap in the face to those who do not have the privilege of citizenship or the resources to help affected family members and friends.

The Supreme Court order is not final, but these efforts signal an unsettling reality to the Latino community. With the University redefining its diversity programs and federal immigration enforcement activity persisting in the South Central area, the audacity of the University to claim its celebration of Latino heritage stings.

The Court wrote on the basis of speaking Spanish and working in construction: “such factors — alone or in combination — can heighten the likelihood that someone is unlawfully present in the United States, above and beyond the 1-in-10 baseline odds in the District.” 

These assumptions and the outright normalization of prejudicial biases make it feel uneasy to be Latino in the U.S. Having brown skin, speaking Spanish and working in construction are now enough justification to cast doubt on the legality of a person’s presence. While the University prepares for its annual events, the nation is not celebrating Latinos. 

In a time like this, the University holds a responsibility to educate all students about the reality Latinos face. Understanding the ongoing struggle against racial profiling is crucial in fostering inclusion and solidarity on campus. While the University holds a responsibility, students must participate in educating themselves on the matter.

Courses about Mexican migration, L.A. history and Latino heritage must continue to be offered. People of all backgrounds and perspectives should take advantage of this learning opportunity, not just Latino students. Student inclusion is not solidified with a University statement but crosses when students present their allyship. 

Latino Heritage Month begins in three days, and there is not much to celebrate. When the Court normalized suspension directed towards an entire ethnic group, they erased Latino contributions and signaled that Latino history would be disregarded. Now, allyship is not just in the hands of the University administration, but it extends to students.