Kim Kardashian used a high-profile appearance at a Venice awards event on Thursday to criticize immigration enforcement actions under the Trump administration.
Why It Matters
Kardashian’s remarks follow her earlier work with Trump administration officials on criminal justice issues. In 2018, she successfully advocated for Alice Marie Johnson, whose sentence was commuted after meetings with White House aides. The episode has been noted as an example of her ability to engage with both advocacy efforts and political decision-makers.
Evan Vucci/AP
What To Know
Kardashian, who was in Venice to accept the Diane von Furstenberg (DVF) Leadership Award for her advocacy on criminal justice reform, spoke with journalists ahead of the ceremony and expressed opposition to recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.
“In the news you hear, ‘Oh, it’s about people who have committed these crimes and they’re trying to help out our country.’ But then you hear about all of the people who have worked so hard to build our country, and so many people that are such a part of our country getting affected,” she said. “People I know. People my friends know.”
It comes as ICE has deported nearly 200,000 people since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Newsweek: “President Trump is fulfilling his promise to the American people to deport criminal illegal aliens and Make America Safe Again—no matter what elite Hollywood celebrities have to say about it.”
Kardashian has previously addressed immigration enforcement operations on her Instagram Stories during protests in Los Angeles against Trump’s ICE raids and mass deportations. She questioned the agency’s actions, writing that while its stated purpose is to target violent criminals, the removal of innocent, hardworking people from their families is unacceptable and requires speaking out.
Her comments come as a 20-year-old Honduran female student who has lived in the United States since childhood and wants to become a nurse will reportedly be self-deporting after spending six months in ICE custody.
What People Are Saying
Kardashian told reporters: “You want to believe that there’s a powerful message in protection, but then you see that it’s not really happening like that.” She added, “It’s really tough, but I think that we have to do what we can to protect the people that have really supported and built our country.”
“When we’re told that ICE exists to keep our country safe and remove violent criminals—great. But when we witness innocent, hardworking people being ripped from their families, we have to speak up,” she wrote on Instagram on June 11.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson at DHS, wrote on X on June 11: “@KimKardashian, which one of these convicted child molesters, murderers, drug traffickers and rapists would you like to stay in the county? These are just a few of the convicted illegal criminals who have been picked up in the last 72 hours.”
What Happens Next
Enforcement operations are expected to ramp up as the administration looks to remove millions of migrants without legal status. Further widespread action is expected to take place in Chicago next week.
