ICE agents used slurs 'mojado' and 'tonks' to target migrants in LA, court filing alleges

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Los Angeles reportedly used derogatory terms such as "mojado" and "tonks" during migrant detentions last year, according to a court filing. Migrant rights organizations have presented this evidence to a judge, asserting that these detentions were based on racial profiling and are seeking to halt such practices.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and private attorneys have gathered evidence, including bodycam recordings and agent declarations, to support their claim that ICE agents relied on racial profiling to identify individuals for detention during sweeps in Los Angeles in 2025. The court filing reveals that officers used racial slurs, with "mojado" and "tonks" being specifically cited.

CalMatters explained that "tonks" is a derogatory term allegedly used by Border Patrol agents to describe the sound of impact when a heavy object, like a flashlight, strikes a migrant's skull. Despite a 2019 directive from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) explicitly stating the term "tonk" was inappropriate due to its derogatory connotation, the presented evidence suggests some agents continue to use it. One bodycam video reportedly captures a Border Patrol agent saying, "There was a guy, I'm pretty sure he's 'mojado,' he was sitting in that van."

Text messages were also presented as evidence, in which one agent allegedly wrote, "Connect us where you see 'tonks' and we'll run out." The lawsuit argues that this evidence undermines the federal government's claim that agents base detention decisions solely on specific intelligence rather than race. Migrant rights organizations contend that ICE agents have been instructed to conduct detentions based on racial profiles, leading to illegal practices by not conducting individualized assessments and instead targeting individuals perceived as low-income and Latino.