‘Disturbing and unacceptable’: Netizens horrified after Indian-American doctor says masked ICE agents 'harassed' her mother

As outrage over the killings of Minneapolis residents Renee Good and Alex Pretti intensifies, an Indian-American doctor’s own experience with masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents has shocked netizens.

Dr. Nisha Patel, a Texas-based physician known for sharing insights on social media, posted on X that her elderly mother, a US citizen of 47 years, was approached by masked ICE agents while shopping at an outlet mall. According to Patel, the agents assumed her mother spoke Spanish because of her accent, addressed her in that language and, when she said she didn’t, began demanding where she was “from,” rapidly rattling off possible countries without giving her time to answer.




Patel said her mother was only allowed to leave after showing a photo of her US passport on her phone. In a post that went viral, with more than 2.3 million views, she wrote:

"My mom was stopped and harassed by masked ICE agents while shopping at an outlet mall in Texas. Because she has an accent, they assumed she spoke Spanish and started talking to her in Spanish. When she said she doesn’t speak Spanish, they began demanding where she was “from,” rapidly listing countries without even giving her a chance to respond.

My mom told them she’s been in this country longer than some of them have been alive. She was only allowed to leave after showing a photo of her U.S. passport on her phone.

She is a US citizen. She has lived in this country for 47 years. If you think this is just about “sending criminals back,” you are dead wrong."

Netizens describe fear, disillusionment

Social media users reacted strongly to Patel’s account, with many describing the incident as emblematic of broader anxieties over immigration enforcement.

One user wrote, "I'm delaying my next trip to USA because of this..." Another said, "47 years in the country. Harassed by agents with 47 days of training. The irony is tragic. If this can happen to a U.S. citizen in a public mall, it can happen to anyone."

Other commenters spoke to shattered perceptions of the United States. One wrote, "It's crazy, I always imagined the United States like in the movies, but it's so different. Our physical appearance, our language, even the stickers on our cars can change your life forever. Being locked up in a federal prison without having committed a crime is frustrating. This shit is awful. You can feel the fear in the houses. Nobody says it, but the fear is terrifying. Is this really the United States?"

Another said, "This is disturbing and unacceptable. No one should be profiled, intimidated, or forced to prove their citizenship just for existing in public. I’m sorry your mom experienced this."

Broader backlash over federal immigration actions

Patel’s story comes as protests have erupted across the United States demanding accountability for federal immigration enforcement after two fatal shootings in Minneapolis earlier this month. On Jan. 7, ICE agents shot and killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old US citizen, during an enforcement operation. Less than three weeks later, federal immigration officers fatally shot 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti, also a US citizen, in a confrontation that has drawn widespread scrutiny and demonstrations.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and other leaders have condemned the killings, demanding investigations and calling for federal immigration agents to leave the state.

The deaths have also fueled heated political debate in Washington, with some lawmakers threatening to block Department of Homeland Security funding as outrage mounts over ICE tactics.

Numbers underline scale of ICE enforcement

Official figures underscore the scale of federal immigration enforcement fueling public fear. The administration said it deported 605,000 people between 20 January and 10 December 2025. It also claimed that 1.9 million immigrants had “voluntarily self-deported” following an aggressive public awareness campaign encouraging people to leave the country on their own to avoid arrest or detention.

As of 30 November 2025, around 65,000 people were being held in ICE detention facilities, according to data from Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), which compiles immigration statistics from government records.

Indian nationals remain among the most affected. In fiscal year 2024, 2,647 Indian citizens were detained by ICE for immigration violations, including visa overstays and illegal entry, ranking Indians fourth among nationalities held in ICE custody.