Donald Trump and his administration have criticized Kim Kardashian for her outspoken condemnation of ongoing raids by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) across Los Angeles and the country. Kim, who has previously worked alongside the President on prison reform, spoke out on Thursday, August 28, before she took to the stage to receive an honor at Diane Von Furstenberg’s DVF Awards in Venice, Italy.
“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 who are such a part of our country getting affected,” she told the press beforehand.
“People I know. People my friends know. You want to believe that there’s a powerful message in protection, but then you see that it’s not really happening like that. It’s really tough, but I think that we have to do what we can to protect the people who have really supported and built our country.”
In response, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called Kim “misinformed and detached from the very reality of the operations in Los Angeles she has decided to opine on”.
“These are the violent criminals who Homeland Security, under President Trump and Secretary Noem’s leadership, have removed from Los Angeles’s streets: murderers, rapists, gang members, and child pedophiles,” she told TMZ, adding: “Why does Ms. Kardashian continue to do the bidding of criminals at the expense of innocent Americans and brave law enforcement?”
In June, Kim took to Stories to criticize President Trump’s ICE policies.
© Visions of America/Universal Ima“When we’re told that ICE exists to keep our country safe and remove violent criminals – great,” she wrote. “But when we witness innocent, hardworking people being ripped from their families in inhumane ways, we have to speak up. We have to do what’s right.”
“Growing up in LA, I’ve seen how deeply immigrants are woven into the fabric of this city,” the lawyer continued. “They are our neighbors, friends, classmates, coworkers, and family. No matter where you fall politically, it’s clear that our communities thrive because of the contributions of immigrants. We can’t turn a blind eye when fear and injustice keep people from living their lives freely and safely. There HAS to be a BETTER way.“
Kim was in Venice as she was among five honorees who have shown “the courage to fight, the strength to survive, and the leadership to inspire”. Kim – who arrived late – wore a regal gray number from Glenn Martens’s first Maison Margiela Couture collection that included a sweeping cape.
She was given her award by Chris Young, a young man she helped free from prison after he was sentenced to life without parole at the age of 22, serving 11 years, for a low-level drug offense; he was the second person she advocated for following Alice Johnson’s pardon in 2020.
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