The U.S. Supreme Court handed President Donald Trump’s administration another win on Monday as it cleared the way to allow sweeping immigration operations in Los Angeles.
The Court overturned a judge’s restraining order that prevented federal agents from stopping people solely based on their race, language, job or location.
Why It Matters
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in Los Angeles earlier this summer saw pushback from local Democratic Party leaders, as well as immigration advocacy groups who were concerned that law-abiding immigrants and U.S. citizens were being swept up by federal agents because of how they looked or where they worked.
The Trump administration has insisted that it needs to uphold federal immigration law and that California policies stand in its way.
Alex Brandon/AP
What Was the Supreme Court’s Ruling on ICE Today?
The lawsuit, filed by immigrant advocacy groups, had argued that “numerous U.S. citizens and others who are lawfully present in this country have been subjected to significant intrusions on their liberty,” by the “roving” ICE patrols.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs said their restraining order only prevented federal agents from making stops without reasonable suspicion, in line with the Constitution and Court precedent.
The Trump administration said the order prevented ICE agents from carrying out their jobs, saying “threatening agents with sanctions if the court disbelieves that they relied on additional factors in making any particular stop.”
On Monday, the Court’s conservative-majority ruled 6-3 to overturn U.S. District Judge Maame E. Frimpong’s initial order.
Frimpong had found a “mountain of evidence” that enforcement tactics were violating the Constitution. The plaintiffs included U.S. citizens swept up in immigration stops. An appeals court had left Frimpong’s ruling in place.
The Court’s Monday ruling comes as ICE agents also step up enforcement in Washington, D.C., amid Trump’s unprecedented federal takeover of the capital city’s law enforcement and deployment of the National Guard.
The immigrant advocacy groups who filed the suit accused the Trump administration of systematically targeting brown-skinned people during the president’s crackdown on illegal immigration in the Los Angeles area.
The order from Frimpong, who was nominated by Democratic President Joe Biden, barred authorities from using factors like apparent race or ethnicity, speaking Spanish or English with an accent, presence at a location such as a tow yard or car wash, or someone’s occupation as the only basis for reasonable suspicion for detention. It’s covered a combined population of nearly 20 million people, nearly half of whom identify as Hispanic or Latino.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) attorneys have said immigration officers target people based on illegal presence in the U.S., not skin color, race or ethnicity. The Justice Department (DOJ) said the order wrongly restricted the factors that ICE agents can use when deciding who to stop.
PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images
What to Know About the LA ICE Raids This Summer
The Los Angeles region has been a battleground for the Trump administration after its hardline immigration strategy spurred protests and the deployment of the National Guard and the Marines.
Trump and his DHS Secretary Kristi Noem had argued that the increased federal presence was necessary because so-called sanctuary policies in California had given shelter to alleged illegal immigrant criminals.
Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass pushed back against that claim, warning that the deployment of federal agents and troops put communities at risk and overstepped the president’s authority.
The number of immigration raids in the Los Angeles area appeared to slow shortly after Frimpong’s order came down in July, but recently have become more frequent again, including an operation in which agents jumped out of the back of a rented box truck and made arrests at a Home Depot store.
In late August, DHS said agents had detained over 5,000 illegal immigrants in Los Angeles since June.
Where Else are ICE Raids Happening?
ICE is conducting increased enforcement efforts across the U.S., notably in Washington, D.C., California, and New York, with the Trump administration arguing that these areas and others have adopted sanctuary policies which protect illegal immigrants.
Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law on July 4, ICE has seen its budget increase dramatically in order to hire more agents and expand detention capacity.
What People Are Saying
Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in her dissent: “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.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli wrote on X: “The Supreme Court just stayed the district court’s order restricting immigration enforcement in California’s Central District. We argued the order was overly broad, aiming to hinder our ability to apprehend and remove illegal immigrants in Los Angeles. We are a nation of laws. Federal law enforcement is non-negotiable and cannot be curtailed by any court. If plaintiffs disagree with immigration laws, they should address Congress, not a single judge.”
What Happens Next?
The lawsuit will continue to unfold in California.
Reporting by The Associated Press contributed to this story.
