Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin responded sharply on Wednesday to Kim Kardashian’s public criticism of recent ICE operations in Los Angeles, which targeted undocumented individuals in the area. Taking to the social platform X, McLaughlin directly addressed Kardashian’s remarks by highlighting the criminal records of several individuals arrested during the raids.
“@KimKardashian, which one of these convicted child molesters, murderers, drug traffickers and rapists would you like to stay in the county?” McLaughlin posted, attaching four photos of men reportedly detained by ICE agents over the past 72 hours. Each image included a name and a brief summary of their alleged crimes.
“These are just a few of the convicted illegal criminals who have been picked up in the last 72 hours,” McLaughlin added, defending the enforcement actions that have drawn backlash and sparked protests across Los Angeles.
Her comments came in direct response to Kardashian’s recent Instagram Story, where the celebrity urged her followers to raise their voices against what she described as an abuse of power. “When we’re told that ICE exists to keep our country safe and remove violent criminals great,” Kardashian wrote. “But 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.”
Reflecting on her upbringing in Los Angeles, Kardashian emphasized the city’s immigrant roots, writing, “They are our neighbors, friends, classmates, coworkers, and family.” Her remarks added a personal tone to her broader call for compassion and reform.
The back-and-forth reflects the deepening divide between critics of the Trump administration’s immigration policies and officials defending what they say are necessary actions to remove dangerous individuals from communities. Protests against the raids have grown across Los Angeles in recent days, with local leaders and activists condemning the mass detentions as overly aggressive and harmful to families.