KATSEYE’s Lara, an Indian-origin American member of the Los Angeles-based girl group, was falsely reported to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The K-pop enthusiast who allegedly did the deed appeared to have pulled the stunt as a result of fan wars on the social media platform.

As seen in tweets shared by user @clareruins (who initially went by @pinkruins), the K-pop fan appeared to have tipped-off ICE authorities via the official website. The alleged visual proof of the submission showed them accusing Lara Raj of being an “illegal alien in LA” even though she was actually born in the United States.

They further wrote, “Lara Rajagopalan… has not obtained the necessary visa or legal status required to remains in the US and appears to be working and residing in the United States without legal authorisation.” The social media user shared a screenshot of the purported complaint against the KATSEYE member along with the message, “see you in the city jail @lararaj.”

KATSEYE Lara at the centre of US immigration scandal

Unsubstantiated accusations against Lara came to the forefront at a time when the US is already facing an amplified slew of ICE raids, severe immigration crackdown and deportation fears under the Donald Trump administration.

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At the time of writing the X user’s account seemed to have been switched to private on the microblogging platform. However, screenshots FinancialExpress.com secured from the site while the account bearing the username @clareruins still existed showed the K-pop enthusiast boasting about having allegedly reported the singer to the US authorities. According to a tweet pinned on their former page in early June, the X user disclosed LE SSERAFIM, ENHYPEN, ILLIT, and BTS’ Jimin and RM as their favourite K-pop artists.

K-pop fans slam false report against Lara

While KATSEYE’s agency HYBE has yet to officially comment on the development, K-pop lovers and the group’s supporters alike united in their efforts to speak out against the person hurling unverified claims against Lara.

“To any KATSEYE members who may see this — please scroll past. This is a community-led response to protect your safety and peace. We’ve got this handled with care and seriousness,” another X user shared the detailed account of what had transpired on the online platform.

“This individual has submitted a false report to the ICE tip line, at a time when ICE is actively detaining and deporting both U.S. citizens and non-citizens. This is no longer fandom drama — this is a real-world threat to (tiger emoji) (key emoji) and to the safety of individuals connected to this community,” they added. “This behavior is illegal, dangerous, and requires swift reporting through the proper channels.”

The admin urged others to report @clareruins’ account on X as well as the screenshots of the ICE tip-off form through HYBE’s official legal portal (protect.hybecorp.com). “We are not letting this slide. EYEKONS, thank you for protecting each other and our girls. Stay alert, stay safe, and stay united. @katseyeworld @HYBEOFFICIALtwt @GeffenRecords protect your artists, TAKE LEGAL ACTION,” they emphasised.

Sharing a step-by-step tutorial on how to file the complaint against the X user, the KATSEYE fan reported the “threat to the artist” on the HYBE’s legal portal. The note read: “User @/pinkruins (now @/clareruins) has made a false report on the ICE tip hotline that Lara is an illegal alien and also threatened to submit another false report about Daniela on the tip hotline as well. This is not ok and a VERY serious situation because ICE is currently rounding up EVERYONE, if a report is made I’m fearful they may really come after Lara or even other members of katseye. PLEASE TAKE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST THEM, THIS IS A SERIOUS MATTER!”

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In another post @clareruins pushed via their then-public SNS account, they seemingly joked about going to the “ICE office to personally report an illegal immigrant in KATSEYE.” Many others claimed that the same user also attempted to smear Daniela’s name, whose family background includes Venezuelan and Cuban roots.

A significant following joined the call to report the @clareruins’ malicious attempts to drag Lara. “They really think they can hide after doing this ? they gonna regret this. nothing is untraceable,” commented online. Another wrote, “I think they were also trying to deport dani they’re so weird omg.”

A third tweeted, “And I do know Lara is a us citizen but the constant racism she’s been subjected to is horrible I hope Katseye has a good system around them.”

Even in the wake of such vehement criticism, the original admin behind the fake ICE report seemed to be enjoying their two-minute fame on X. “I I won the lottery I won’t tell you, but there will be a sign,” they wrote in a post wherein multiple posts calling out their allegations against Lara Raj were attached.