ICE tickets legal resident for not carrying papers — are Asian Americans next?

A 60-year-old lawful permanent resident received a $130 ticket from immigration agents in Chicago last week for not carrying his green card, the first known enforcement of a dormant federal law that could soon target Asian American communities.

What happened: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents approached Rueben Antonio Cruz and a friend in Rogers Park on Oct. 9, asking if they carried documentation. Cruz, a migrant from El Salvador with heart problems, told agents his papers were at home. However, officers placed him in their vehicle and drove around in circles, questioning him about his identity and his parents, who were both deceased. They then wrote him a citation for violating federal law that requires immigrants to keep registration documents on their person. His transient friend, who did not have legal status, was taken into custody.

Why this matters: While the documentation requirement has existed for decades, it went largely unenforced until President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January directing agencies to “faithfully execute” immigration laws. The consequences for Asian Americans became clearer following the Supreme Court’s ruling last month that permits agents to consider apparent ethnicity alongside other factors during enforcement actions in Los Angeles.

The threat is already materializing, with recent operations sweeping up hundreds of South Korean nationals at a Georgia Hyundai facility, 36 Chinese and Taiwanese people at a Los Angeles nightclub and 16 individuals near a Little Bangladesh grocery. California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta has highlighted the troubling contradiction of courts blocking race-conscious policies that address discrimination while permitting race-based immigration enforcement.

The big picture: Documentation mandates have historically been used against communities of color as tools of control through bureaucratic requirements. For Asian Americans, the combination of expanded enforcement, court approval of ethnicity-based stops and targeted raids creates heightened vulnerability. The situation has sparked cross-community solidarity: This past June, John Kim of Catalyst California urged Asian Americans to stand with Latino families, reminding them of times when Asian communities wondered why others failed to support them. That solidarity played out locally when, following Cruz’s citation, hundreds reportedly gathered for a Rogers Park demonstration where participants mourned those detained, challenged government overreach and pledged to support their neighbors.

Civil rights groups are preparing new legal challenges, while DHS is expected to clarify whether such fines will become standard enforcement practice.