Supreme Court Lifts Restrictions on Los Angeles Immigration Raids, Siding with Trump Administration

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Washington D.C. Bureau Staff

WASHINGTON D.C. (Worthy News) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday temporarily lifted restrictions on federal immigration raids in Los Angeles, siding with the Trump administration in a dispute over alleged racial profiling by immigration authorities.

In a brief unsigned order, the high court granted an emergency request from the administration to pause limits imposed by a federal judge in July. The order allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to continue its operations in Southern California while litigation proceeds.

The lower court order, issued by Judge Maame Frimpong of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, had barred federal agents from stopping or detaining individuals solely because they looked Latino, spoke Spanish, or worked in certain industries. Plaintiffs, including immigrant-rights groups and Latino residents, accused agents of targeting people at bus stops, parking lots, and car washes based on their ethnicity.

The Supreme Court’s three liberal justices — Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson — dissented. Sotomayor, writing for the dissent, warned that lifting the restrictions risked enabling unconstitutional racial profiling. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, in a concurring opinion, said the stay was necessary to prevent improper judicial interference with immigration enforcement in a high-priority metropolitan area.

ICE launched its Los Angeles operations on June 6, drawing sharp criticism from state and local officials who argued the federal government was overstepping its authority. Several immigrant advocacy organizations have since filed lawsuits, contending the raids violate constitutional protections.

The case, Noem v. Perdomo, now heads to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The Supreme Court’s order remains in place while the appeal is pending, keeping the administration’s enforcement powers intact in the nation’s second-largest city.

Reporting contributed by Worthy News staff and wire services.

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