I asked ICE’s Office of Public Affairs to explain the agency’s guidelines for officers attempting to verify the legal status of someone in custody. The DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin sent an email in response stating that allegations of ICE officers engaging in racial profiling are “disgusting” and “categorically FALSE.”

“DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted, and officers do their due diligence,” she wrote. “We know who we are targeting ahead of time. If and when we do encounter individuals subject to arrest, our law enforcement is trained to ask a series of well-determined questions to determine status and removability.”

McLaughlin did not say which identification documents ICE officers accept as proof of legal status or citizenship.