Updated Jul 12, 2025 - Politics & Policy

Trump admin to appeal order barring race-based immigration arrests alleged in LA area

Lauren Floyd

Woman in yellow shirt in front of line of troops with shields — A demonstrator interacts with US Marines and National Guard members at Los Angeles' Metropolitan Detention Center following federal immigration operations on July 4. Photo: Etienne Laurent / AFP via Getty Images

The White House says it plans to appeal a federal order requiring the Trump administration to stop immigration arrests without probable cause after a suit alleged it targeted California residents based on race, language and work.

The big picture: Residents of Latino descent have been stopped, detained or asked to prove citizenship in communities throughout the U.S. amid President Trump's push for mass deportations.

What they're saying: White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement emailed to Axios on Saturday: "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."

Driving the news: U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong concluded in an order on Friday that those who brought the suit were likely to prove "the federal government is indeed conducting roving patrols without reasonable suspicion and denying access to lawyers".

The judge ordered Homeland Security to craft guidance to determine "reasonable suspicion" and provide accused residents access to counsel on holidays, weekends and weekdays.

State of play: The suit naming Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was brought by five workers and advocacy groups Los Angeles Worker Center Network, United Farm Workers (UFW) and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights.

Teresa Romero, the UFW president, celebrated the judge's decision in a statement on Friday.
"Farm workers rise before dawn to feed this country—there is no labor more dignified," Romero said. "No one should be targeted, profiled, or terrorized for being brown and working hard."

Catch up quick: Immigration raids in Latino communities in southern California and beyond have led to mass protests in several U.S. cities.

Trump deployed about 4,000 National Guard members and hundreds of Marines to the Los Angeles area in an effort to stem the growing unrest last month.

Tricia McLaughlin, a Homeland Security spokesperson, said in a statement emailed to Axios on Saturday: "A district judge is undermining the will of the American people."

She went on to say "brave men and women" are removing "truly the worst of the worst from Golden State communities."

Federal law prohibits arrests and detainments without the belief a crime has been committed.

Go deeper: ICE accused of racial profiling in detentions of Latino U.S. citizens

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details from the order.

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Trump admin to appeal order barring race-based immigration arrests alleged in LA area

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