The Trump administration has filed an emergency request with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to lift a lower court injunction that restricts immigration enforcement actions in Los Angeles and the surrounding Southern California region.
The lower court order, issued by Judge Maame Frimpong, prohibits federal agents from making immigration arrests or stops solely based on race, ethnicity, language accent, or presence at certain locations unless there is reasonable suspicion of illegal status.
The big picture: The Justice Department argues that the injunction severely hampers federal immigration enforcement efforts across a densely populated area described as an epicenter of the immigration crisis.
- The order was put in place after findings that enforcement tactics relied on racial profiling, including stops of individuals because they speak Spanish or English with an accent or due to their brown skin.
Driving the news: The Trump administration has pursued aggressive immigration raids aimed at achieving historically high deportation numbers, with senior aide Stephen Miller calling for a target of 3,000 arrests daily by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
- A July proposed class action lawsuit filed by Latino individuals – including some U.S. citizens – alleges violations of the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures.
- Plaintiffs describe “indiscriminate” stops and detentions wherein individuals are forcibly questioned about their identity and origin, sometimes involving physical roughness despite proof of citizenship.
- In response to backlash and protests against the raids, President Trump deployed National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles in June to support local police, an extraordinary use of military force in a domestic civilian context.
- The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to lift Judge Frimpong’s order on August 1, maintaining restrictions on immigration enforcement stops pending further legal review.
What we’re watching: The Justice Department’s Supreme Court appeal indicates the administration’s intent to aggressively challenge judicial limits on immigration tactics that critics label racially and ethnically discriminatory.
