A federal appeals court has upheld a decision that restricts US government agents from conducting immigration-related arrests in Los Angeles without probable cause. The ruling from the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit dismisses the Trump administration’s appeal, which sought to lift a temporary restraining order put in place by a lower court.
The three-judge panel expressed confidence that the plaintiffs could demonstrate that federal agents made arrests based on individuals’ appearance, language, and their locations, such as workplaces or neighborhoods. This decision follows a series of contentious immigration enforcement measures that have drawn criticism for alleged racial profiling.
In June 2023, President Donald Trump dispatched National Guard troops and US Marines to Los Angeles amid protests against immigration raids, marking a significant military involvement in domestic law enforcement. The city of Los Angeles, along with several other municipalities in Southern California, joined a lawsuit initiated by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) that accused federal agents of employing illegal tactics to achieve immigration arrest quotas set by the administration.
Earlier in July 2023, a California judge ruled against the Trump administration’s practices of racially profiling immigrants and denying them access to legal counsel during detention. The current decision from the appeals court reaffirms this stance, preventing federal officials from detaining individuals based solely on “apparent race or ethnicity,” language spoken, or their presence in specific locations, such as “bus stops, car washes, or day laborer pickup sites.”
The Department of Homeland Security and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to requests for comment outside of business hours.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass hailed the court’s ruling as a significant victory for the city’s residents. She stated, “The Temporary Restraining Order that has been protecting our communities from immigration agents using racial profiling and other illegal tactics when conducting their cruel and aggressive enforcement raids and sweeps will remain in place for now.”
In a similar vein, Mohammad Tajsar, a senior staff lawyer at the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, commended the ruling, asserting, “This decision is further confirmation that the administration’s paramilitary invasion of Los Angeles violated the Constitution and caused irreparable injury across the region.”
The ongoing legal battle highlights the tension between federal immigration enforcement policies and local jurisdictions’ efforts to protect their communities from discriminatory practices. As this case continues to unfold, it underscores the broader implications of immigration enforcement strategies across the United States.
