Judge Orders Trump Administration to Cease ‘Indiscriminate’ Immigration Arrests in California
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
A federal judge ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to halt indiscriminate arrests and stops in multiple California counties following a lawsuit centered around three immigrations and two US citizens.
Judge Maame E. Frimpong put out the ruling on Friday following a lawsuit from multiple advocacy groups. The judge also ordered that the administration not restrict attorney access to detention centers. Immigration officers have been carrying out operations in Los Angeles and elsewhere in California, causing backlash among California officials, including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) and California Governor Gavin Newsom (D).
The Trump administration has already vowed to appeal the decision, calling it a “gross overstep.”
No federal judge has the authority to dictate immigration policy — that authority rests with Congress and the President. Enforcement operations require careful planning and execution; skills far beyond the purview (or) jurisdiction of any judge. We expect this gross overstep of judicial authority to be corrected on appeal,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson said in response to the decision.
“As required by the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution, Defendants shall be enjoined from conducting detentive stops in this District unless the agent or officer has reasonable suspicion that the person to be stopped is within the United States in violation of U.S. immigration law,” the judge’s order reads.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles, accused the Trump administration of using “unconstitutional” tactics by targeting brown-skinned people in their immigration sweeps, which the administration has denied.
“Armed, masked goons in unmarked cars have descended in our community and have stopped and rounded people up from all walks of life, often at gunpoint and without any justification,” American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California attorney Mohammad Tajsar said.
“The seizures at issue occurred unlawfully,” Frimpong wrote in the Friday order, concluding there is a “mountain of evidence” to support the accusation that the administration is targeting people in Southern California solely based on their race, accent, and occupation.
The lawsuit contains several alleged instances of masked officers detaining people without identifying themselves.
Pedro Vasquez Perdomo said that in June he was arrested at a bus stop by plain-clothes, masked officers who did not identify themselves or ask for identification. Perdomo was ultimately released after three weeks, but said he is now facing deportation.
“I think that I was arrested that day at the bus stop because of how I look,” he said. “I was sitting with other workers and we all look Hispanic and were wearing construction work clothes.”
The lawsuit accused the administration of engaging in “roving patrols” and using a strategy of “stopping people first and asking questions later.”
Another instance centers around Los Angeles resident Jason Brian Gavidia, who was detained despite telling officers he was American and born in the area. He was stopped outside an auto body shop in Montebello in an encounter that was captured on camera.
“I’m an American, bro!” Gavidia told officers as they detained him.
“One thing I would like to highlight was the fact that even though after I stated and proved I was American, they took away my phone,” he told the court during a Thursday hearing.
Gavidia was eventually released. His friend Javier Ramirez, another US citizen, was also detained at the time by the same officers.
Newsom celebrated the court’s ruling as a victory, declaring, “Justice prevailed today.”
“Justice prevailed today — the court’s decision puts a temporary stop to federal immigration officials violating people’s rights and racial profiling,” he wrote in a statement.
