TikTok influencer and podcaster Bobbi Althoff is calling out U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after the agency detained a close family friend she says has lived and worked in the U.S. for decades without a criminal record.
Featured VideoIn a video posted on Oct. 1, 2025, Althoff accused ICE of racial profiling and described the arrest as a “kidnapping in broad daylight.” Like many who have feared for undocumented loved ones before her, she reported hostility from agents when trying to contact this person and warned about what this means for our future.
She tried to keep her message nonpartisan, but her followers weren’t having it.
Bobbi Althoff says her friend was detained by ICE
In a TikTok video posted on Wednesday, the podcaster known for her celebrity interviews revealed that the massive push to arrest and deport undocumented migrants had reached into her personal life.
Advertisement“A couple days ago, someone who was very close to me and my family, and has been for the last 20 years, someone without a criminal record, someone who does nothing other than work really f*cking hard to provide for his family, was taken,” she said. “Kidnapped in broad daylight.”
Althoff, whose mother is of Mexican ancestry, reported that the ICE agents appeared in an unmarked vehicle with tinted windows, failed to read her friend his rights, and forced him to sign something. They then took him to a detention center that she said is “full of f*cking a**holes.”
She went on to say that she doesn’t consider this a Democrat or Republican issue, but a “human rights issue,” accusing ICE of racial profiling and warning that current policies bring us “one step closer to a dictatorship.”
“I get that it’s easy if you are white and this is not gonna affect you, but it’s not gonna not affect you forever,” she added. “Because once you have someone with that much power and control, it’s only a matter of time before it does affect you or someone you love.”
AdvertisementAlthoff urged her fellow influencers and anyone with a big platform to speak out. She also encouraged everyone to try and think beyond themselves.
@bobbialthoffSilence is complicity
♬ original sound – Bobbi
According to ICE statistics released in July, 71.7 percent of those detained by ICE under the Trump administration had no criminal convictions on their records.
Althoff’s message sparks partisan debate
As Althoff’s TikTok video gained over 1.6 million views, the comments grew partisan despite her attempts to say this is everyone’s problem. Left-wing TikTokers overwhelmingly pointed out that mass deportations were a key Republican platform in 2024.
Advertisement“This IS a Republican issue 100% because we did not vote for this!” said @heygraciela. “THEY DID.”
“It’s literally a Republican issue,” wrote @user274122585398. “Theyre literally in control of the house senate and the presidency.”
In between these comments, some thanked the influencer for being one of the few to risk becoming a right-wing target.
Advertisement“I LOVE that youre using your platform for this!” gushed @happyblooms23.
“THIS IS HOW YOU USE YOUR PLATFORM!” declared @amandamitchell83. “Thank you Bobbi.”
Another big TikTok influencer, Snow Tha Product, also expressed her appreciation.
Advertisement“Thank u for speaking up,” she said.
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