Federal Judge Blocks Trump Immigration Raids in California \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to suspend broad immigration arrests in seven California counties following accusations of racial profiling. Immigrant rights groups allege that Latino communities were targeted indiscriminately. The ruling also grants attorney access to a previously restricted Los Angeles detention center.
Quick Looks
- Judge halts Trump-era immigration arrests in seven counties
- Lawsuit alleges racial profiling of Latinos in California
- Bans race, language, or job as arrest justification
- Detained U.S. citizens also named as plaintiffs
- Attorneys blocked from accessing detainees at LA facility
- Federal judge orders B-18 detention center opened to lawyers
- Order applies to high-profile Ventura County farm raid
- DHS denies racial targeting claims, says arrests are lawful
- Civil liberties groups cite Fourth and Fifth Amendment violations
- Democratic state attorneys general file supporting briefs
Deep Look
Federal Judge Blocks Trump Immigration Raids in California Over Racial Bias Claims
A federal judge on Friday issued an emergency order halting the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement operations in seven Southern California counties, citing compelling evidence that federal agents were engaging in unconstitutional racial profiling during their recent crackdown. The order covers areas including Los Angeles and Ventura County, where hundreds of immigrant workers and bystanders have been detained in recent weeks.
The ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Maame E. Frimpong, came in response to a lawsuit filed by immigrant advocacy groups who allege that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have unlawfully detained individuals based largely on race, language, occupation, or presence at Latino-dominated workplaces.
The plaintiffs include three Latino day laborers, two U.S. citizens—one of whom was detained despite showing valid identification—and several legal organizations, including the Immigrant Defenders Law Center and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The lawsuit accuses the federal government of violating the Fourth Amendment’s protections against unreasonable searches and seizures and the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of due process.
Judge Frimpong wrote in her order that a “mountain of evidence” presented in court supported the plaintiffs’ claim that immigration agents were using impermissible factors like ethnicity, spoken language, and work attire to initiate arrests without warrants or reasonable suspicion.
DHS Denies Bias While Court Points to Discrimination
Despite the court’s findings, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) strongly denied the allegations. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary at DHS, said in a statement, “Any claims that individuals have been ‘targeted’ by law enforcement because of their skin color are disgusting and categorically FALSE.” She defended DHS enforcement operations as “highly targeted,” adding that officers conduct thorough surveillance and investigations before making arrests.
However, courtroom testimony painted a different picture. The ACLU’s lead attorney, Mohammad Tajsar, presented declarations describing immigration raids at swap meets, construction sites, and car washes, where agents detained groups of Latino workers while leaving white individuals unbothered. One plaintiff, a U.S. citizen named Brian Gavidia, was reportedly “physically assaulted” at a tow yard “for no other reason than he was Latino and working in a majority-Latino neighborhood,” said Tajsar.
In one incident in Ventura County—while the court hearing was underway—federal agents descended on a cannabis farm and detained dozens of workers, prompting clashes with demonstrators. Protesters were injured as officers reportedly used force to suppress opposition, according to legal filings.
New Protections Against Profiling and Expanded Attorney Access
The court’s order imposes sweeping new protections for immigrants and Latino communities across the seven counties. It prohibits ICE and CBP agents from initiating stops or arrests based solely on:
- Race or skin color
- Use of Spanish or accented English
- Presence at locations such as car washes or construction sites
- Employment in traditionally immigrant-dominated industries
The ruling also mandates that federal immigration detention centers, including the downtown Los Angeles facility known as “B-18,” must allow attorneys to visit detainees seven days a week. Additionally, detainees must be granted confidential access to legal counsel via phone—a right that attorneys argue has been routinely denied.
Mark Rosenbaum, an attorney representing detained immigrants, described harrowing accounts of detainees being held without access to food, beds, phones, or legal aid. In one June 7 incident, Rosenbaum and other lawyers tried to inform detainees of their rights as buses arrived at B-18, but government drivers reportedly honked horns to drown them out, and chemical munitions resembling tear gas were deployed.
While DHS attorney Sean Skedzielewski claimed the restrictions were enacted to “protect employees and detainees” during “violent protests,” Rosenbaum stated that access was denied even on peaceful days. He described the conditions inside B-18 as “coercive,” claiming that detainees were pressured into signing deportation documents without legal consultation.
Broader Legal and Political Implications
The court’s ruling builds on a previous federal injunction issued in April that barred warrantless CBP arrests in eastern California. Together, these rulings signal growing judicial resistance to the Trump administration’s immigration tactics, particularly when they intersect with constitutional protections.
Attorneys general from 18 Democratic-led states submitted amicus briefs supporting the lawsuit. Their filings argued that unchecked immigration raids foster distrust in communities, damage labor markets, and often result in wrongful detentions of U.S. citizens and legal residents.
Civil rights organizations have further accused the Trump administration of implementing an “arbitrary arrest quota”, prompting ICE and CBP to meet numerical targets rather than prioritize genuine threats to public safety. The ACLU said recent arrest patterns suggest the use of “broad stereotypes based on race or ethnicity” as the primary basis for enforcement.
Communities on Edge as Enforcement Spreads
Across Southern California, immigrant and Latino communities remain tense following weeks of sudden arrests at Home Depot parking lots, swap meets, car washes, and immigration courts. The deployment of National Guard troops and Marine support has only amplified fears.
Tens of thousands of people have turned out at rallies in Los Angeles, Ventura, and San Bernardino counties to protest what they describe as racially discriminatory practices under the Trump administration’s immigration agenda.
Friday’s ruling provides temporary relief while the lawsuit proceeds, but it could have long-lasting implications for federal immigration operations across the country. If the court ultimately rules in favor of the plaintiffs, the case may become a landmark decision on civil liberties, immigration policy, and constitutional law under the Trump administration.
Federal Judge Blocks Trump
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