By Steve Neavling
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday allowed federal agents to resume broad immigration sweeps in Los Angeles, siding with the Trump administration in a 6-3 decision.
The ruling lifted a lower court order that had barred “roving patrols” from stopping people based only on their race, language, job, or location, the Associated Press reports. U.S. District Judge Maame E. Frimpong had found a “mountain of evidence” that enforcement tactics were unconstitutional and had swept up U.S. citizens.
In dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote, “Countless people in the Los Angeles area have been grabbed, thrown to the ground, and handcuffed simply because of their looks, their accents, and the fact they make a living by doing manual labor. Today, the Court needlessly subjects countless more to these exact same indignities.”
The lawsuit, filed by immigrant advocacy groups, argues the Trump administration is systematically targeting brown-skinned people. Plaintiffs include three immigrants and two U.S. citizens, among them Brian Gavidia, who was filmed in June telling agents, “I was born here in the States. East LA, bro!” before being released after showing his ID.
The Justice Department maintained the order wrongly limited the factors agents can consider when deciding whom to stop, saying officers act on immigration status, not race or ethnicity. Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued the ruling threatened agents with sanctions if courts doubted their explanations for a stop.
The case will continue in California courts, but the ruling gives Trump’s administration wider latitude as immigration raids intensify in Los Angeles and other cities.
