It is the 65th week of The Latino Newsletter, and I would like to welcome all our new subscribers from the last couple of days. Our original plan for today was to publish the video podcast version of our Season 2 premiere with guest Bobbito García, but one story from Monday merits some attention.

It happened at the Supreme Court, which ruled 6–3 in Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo that the Trump administration could resume immigration stops in Los Angeles based on four factors, which Justice Brett Kavanaugh in his concurrence noted were “(i) presence at particular locations such as bus stops, car washes, day laborer pickup sites, agricultural sites, and the like; (ii) the type of work one does; (iii) speaking Spanish or speaking English with an accent; and (iv) apparent race or ethnicity.”

In the dissenting opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote, “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.”

Here are some of the statements that The Latino Newsletter received on Monday about the decision:

“This disgraceful decision is a throwback to the Supreme Court at its worst: The Insular Cases, Dred Scott, Plessy vs. Ferguson. The idea that a person can be harassed and potentially jailed because of their appearance, accent or employment is an incredibly dangerous precedent. That one justice would downplay the constitutional impact of ethnic profiling in detention as ‘common sense’ is especially chilling. This is not a final decision on the case. On September 24, the federal district court will hear arguments to once again put a pause on the government's illegal practices. We will continue to hold the Supreme Court to account and ensure they know the historical consequences of their actions.”

“Today’s Supreme Court decision is a troubling setback for civil rights and constitutional protections.

“The Constitution does not allow Americans to be stopped simply for speaking Spanish, waiting for work, or looking Latino. Reasonable suspicion must be based on evidence, not ethnicity.

“By siding with the administration, the Court has opened the door to profiling practices that will expose millions of Latinos to harassment, wrongful detention, and fear in their daily lives. Whether at bus stops, workplaces, or public spaces, Latino communities will face the risk of being treated as suspects simply because of who they are or what they look like.

“As a group of bipartisan Latino leaders, we recognize the government’s authority to enforce immigration laws, but we believe firmly that how those laws are enforced matters. This decision strips away critical guardrails, undermines trust in law enforcement, and erodes the core American value that justice must be applied equally to all.

“In America, suspicion must rest on facts — not faces. This ruling threatens that bedrock principle. NALEO will continue to fight for an immigration system that we deserve — one that protects public safety while safeguarding the constitutional rights of all who call this country home.”

“Today’s ruling by the Supreme Court undermines constitutional protections and opens the door to more indiscriminate stops and arrests. It authorizes targeting by authorities that makes all immigrants, Hispanics, and other non-white Americans suspects simply because of the color of their skin or the language they speak. In doing so, the Court has put the civil rights of every person in the United States at risk. 

“These types of tactics have already traumatized families, violated fundamental rights, and led to the wrongful detention of U.S. citizens and other lawful residents. This decision gives a green light to discriminatory enforcement that erodes trust in public institutions.   

“The Supreme Court, without proper review or explanation, has signaled that the administration can, with impunity, use profiling-based tactics nationwide. It also continues to undermine the Court's own role as a check against unlawful actions. As Justice Sotomayor wrote in dissent, ‘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.’  

“We urge Congress to fulfill its oversight duty and mitigate the damage of these enforcement actions. State leaders and local jurisdictions must use every legal and policy tool available to ensure that immigration enforcement is not used as an excuse to violate the rights and safety of all communities across the country.”  

“Under this administration, we have witnessed a systematic erosion of due process. Now, with this ruling, immigration enforcement will be emboldened to apprehend people solely based on their appearance. The Supreme Court’s decision to greenlight mass immigration enforcement in Los Angeles is a direct attack on Latino and other communities of color — with nearly 130 million of nonwhite Americans now potentially being subject to the Trump Administration’s racially motivated policing.  

“Latino families across the country have been forced to live in fear, facing harassment and intimidation simply for who they are—regardless of status. This ruling undermines trust in our institutions and sends a dangerous message: that millions of people can be treated as suspects because of how they look or where they work. Every family in this country deserves to live with dignity, security, and freedom from intimidation. Rather than taking our country forward, this ruling only sets our country back.”

“We have gone from a supposed war on immigrants to a war on Americans.

“America’s Voice has long said that immigration was merely the ‘tip of the spear’ for this administration to justify and lead an attack on all of us - including violating due process, constitutional rights and core democratic norms and pillars, such as deploying the military against American communities. Sadly, all are coming to pass.

“Why is the American president openly threatening an American city, as he readies the deployment of American troops against those residents? It’s not about immigration, just as the Washington, DC deployment wasn’t about crime. Instead, it’s for purposes of retribution; sowing fear and dissent; provoking violence and dividing us as a nation.

“Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court just sided with the President and his plans to target indiscriminately and racially profile with impunity, effectively making racial profiling now the law of the land.

Whether calling it ‘authoritarianism’ or something else, it’s clear we are fighting not just for immigrants, but also for a different vision of America that’s now imperiled.”

Hegseth in Puerto Rico: From The Associated Press, “U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Puerto Rico on Monday for an unexpected visit as the U.S. steps up its military operations against drug cartels in the Caribbean.”

Julio Ricardo Varela is the founder of The Latino Newsletter. He is also its current part-time publisher and executive director. Email him here.

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