A statement about ICE

The US has always struggled with respecting basic human rights, particularly of marginalized communities. Instead, opting for hate and violence in place of grace, respect, and dignity. Here are my opinions on the latest issues in the book world surrounding ICE, and the persisting issues of racism. I feel my previous post may have covered my opinion on homophobia—as in: it sickens me. 

I’ll start with the issues that popped up in January/February 2026. I’ve been accepted to sign at BookCon this April, something I’ve hoped for since attending in 2019. The joy I’ve felt over the event returning from a five-year hiatus and the opportunity to connect with readers there turned sour after I heard about their ties to ICE. After some research, I found that some ReedPop employees were also unaware and that the tie is through LexisNexis.

The link is BookCon→ ReedPop→ RX→ RELX

RELX owns LexisNexis. LexisNexis has a contract with DHS/ICE for access to the law enforcement investigative database.

My daytime profession is as a paralegal. I first encountered LexisNexis in my Legal Writing and Research class. We were taught to use the database to find relevant case law. Thankfully, Lexis is not the only legal research database (there is also Westlaw by Thomson Reuters and old-fashioned law books). It is my pledge to only use Westlaw and books to conduct my legal research in the future.

As for BookCon, I’ve signed the petition on Change.org asking ReedPop to pressure RELX to instruct LexisNexis not to renew their contract with DHS. I’m realistic about the limits of ReedPop’s influence, but collective pressure might help. I’ve also joined other attending authors in an open letter condemning RELX’s collaboration with ICE.

A separate event-related issue comes from the owner of Anytime Author Promotions, a company I have done a few successful events with. However, after watching the forty-minute video regarding safety concerns in Minnesota, I won’t attend any more of their events. Not as an author, and not as a reader. It’s not a decision I made lightly. Witchy has felt like one of my two signing homes, and I value the connections I made there.

While I can understand the intent behind the video encouraging people to continue traveling to Minnesota, I found it dismissive of the lived experience of those affected by ICE activity. There was a statement that stuck with me. It came after a lengthy explanation that she hasn’t experienced personally any of what the media is reporting. She said, “It’s not dangerous unless you’re looking for danger.”

As a Black woman who grew up in predominantly white neighborhoods, that assertion doesn’t reflect reality. In many places, the danger comes solely because of your race, sexual identity, and/or ethnicity. Or the language you speak/your accent. 

In September, the Supreme Court of the United States lifted a lower-court injunction that had restricted ICE from conducting immigration stops based on what is, in practice, racial profiling. By staying those orders while litigation proceeds, the Supreme Court allowed ICE to resume the challenged enforcement practices. The Immigrant Legal Resource Center reported:

“The Supreme Court on Monday overturned an order that had blocked ICE from committing egregious racial profiling, as they did in raids in Los Angeles earlier this year. The lower courts had agreed that ICE must be prevented from making immigration stops merely based on someone’s appearance and where they work, but the Supreme Court stayed their orders, essentially sanctioning widespread racial profiling. Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s concurrence lays out a roadmap for how he believes immigration enforcement should blatantly target Latinos working in sectors that rely on immigrant labor.”

While the Court did not rule on the constitutionality of racial profiling itself, the practical effect of its decision was to permit racially discriminatory enforcement to continue. Whether this decision stands, it has already caused harm. Lifting the injunction was a significant institutional statement and a loss of equality. 

The United States is going backward. Not only are we losing the protection of our civil rights, but also the commitment to basic human rights. It shouldn’t surprise me, though. We’re often guilty until proven innocent. I’m also not surprised that those who are not subject to the prejudices against BIPOC would think that just because they haven’t experienced fear or racism, that danger doesn’t exist. It does. 

I hope this post makes my position on ICE and our current administration clear.