A federal judge on Friday blocked the Donald Trump administration from carrying out broad immigration raids and arrests in Los Angeles that target individuals solely based on their race, location, language or type of work.
U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong also ordered Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other administration figures to provide detainees access to legal representatives.
In her order, the judge granted two temporary restraining orders requested by the plaintiffs, who include detainees, immigration rights groups and United Farm Workers. The TRO remains in place for the next 10 days as attorneys seek a preliminary injunction.
“There are really two questions in controversy that this court must decide today,” the judge wrote. “First, are the individuals and organizations who brought this lawsuit likely to succeed in proving that the federal government is indeed conducting roving patrols without reasonable suspicion and denying access to lawyers? This court decides — based on all the evidence presented — that they are.”
“And second, what should be done about it? The individuals and organizations who have brought this lawsuit have made a fairly modest request: That this court order the federal government to stop.”
The ICE raids, some captured on iPhones and by TV news crews, have seen masked agents arriving at car washes, bus stops, restaurants, Home Depots and other sites, taking away suspected undocumented immigrants. The Trump administration has focused its attention on Los Angeles as it has stepped up its efforts for mass deportations, with Trump federalizing the National Guard in response to protests.
Governor Gavin Newsom, who has condemned Trump’s actions and those of his administration, wrote on X following the ruling, “Justice prevailed today. The court’s decision puts a temporary stop to federal immigration officials violating people’s rights and racial profiling. California stands with the law and the Constitution — and I call on the Trump Administration to do the same.”
U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement, “We strongly disagree with the allegations in the lawsuit and maintain that our agents have never detained individuals without proper legal justification. Our federal agents will continue to enforce the law and abide by the U.S. Constitution.”
The judge’s ruling prohibits the Trump administration from conducting the raids unless they have reasonable suspicion. In forming the basis of reasonable suspicion, they also cannot rely solely on a person’s race or ethnicity, whether the person speaks Spanish or English with an accent, the person’s presence at a particular location, or on the type of work they do.
The plaintiffs noted the tactics of the raids, in which agents arrived in military clothing and gear, heavily armed and masked. They have shouted commands at individuals, and some have been pushed to the ground and even beaten, and then taken away, according to the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs not only argued that the raids and arrests violated the Constitution, but also cited conditions of the downtown federal building where the detainees have been taken, noting that they are deprived of food and basic hygiene, for what is supposed to be a temporary holding facility.
