"Ain’t he Italian?" — Internet reacts to John Leguizamo claiming Florida police are arresting Native Americans and Indigenous Latinos

A recent statement by John Leguizamo has sparked discussion online. On February 13, 2025, the comedian and actor took to his Instagram account to share a video message in which he claimed that Florida police are explicitly targeting Native Americans and Indigenous Latinos for arrest under the state's new anti-illegal immigration law.

In response, many users on X questioned John Leguizamo's heritage, with some suggesting that his background might not align with the issues he raised, asking whether he was not of Italian descent.

"Ain't he Italian?" one commented.

Moreover, some users on X accused the comedian of spreading misinformation, expressing frustration over his statement. They strongly disagreed with his claim, asserting that the Florida police were not targeting only specific groups as he suggested.

"He’s making himself look even more desperate by telling these lies. Florida police is not targeting specific criminals and deporting them..," one user commented.

"F—g liar! These people will say anything to keep the status quo politicians and system that benefited them. He owes favors. Period," another commented.

"He's constantly lying. I have seen plenty of videos of them arresting Asians, Latinos, Caribbean, Africans, and Middle Easterners," a third user commented.

Furthermore, some users commented that John Leguizamo, who comes from Colombia, has no direct ties to the U.S., questioning the relevance of his remarks' relevance.

"This guy comes from Colombia, has 0 ties to the US, just like all Latinos, if things are so bad, they can always go back to their countries, its not like they don't have a choice," a user on X commented.

"I don't think many people care at this point. They turned on Harris because she's female and black..," another wrote.

"Why do all the Latino actors look so rough?" one more user commented.

As for Leguizamo's Italian descent, IMDb states that the actor frequently mentions his Puerto Rican, Italian, and Lebanese ancestry.

According to the publication, his DNA analysis reveals that 59.4% of his genetic background is European, predominantly Spanish, and 24.5% of it Indigenious. However, the actor himself has not yet confirmed these details.

Besides, the actor John Leguizamo has not responded to the online reactions.

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John Leguizamo accuses Florida police of targeting Native Americans and Indigenous Latinos

The comedian (Photo by Rich Fury/VF22/Getty Images for Vanity Fair)

On Thursday, February 13, 2025, John Leguizamo took to his Instagram account to share the video approximately 50 seconds in length, in which he was seated in a studio-like setting, dressed in a camel-coloured ribbed turtleneck and a camouflage hat.

He began by suggesting that the newly implemented law allowed Florida police to deport undocumented individuals, stating that it was not aimed at criminals but at Native Americans and Indigenous Latinos.

"So now with the new Florida law, that police officers can arrest anyone who they think is undocumented immigrant. They are not targeting criminals who are undocumented, they are just attacking native Americans and Indigenous Latinos, who profiles to them as undocumented," he said.

He added:

So it's not really, it was never really about the criminals, it was just about getting let immigrants who are undocuments out of the country."

The law being referred to by John Leguizamo is the recent legislative developments in Florida, which have expanded the authority of state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), to assist in immigration enforcement.

Moreover, on February 13, 2025, Governor Ron DeSantis signed comprehensive immigration bills which allocated nearly $300 million to support state and local authorities in detaining and transferring migrants to federal authorities for deportation, according to Politico.

However, there is no evidence to support targeting any specific group or community, and the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) has not made an official statement regarding Leguizamo's claims.