Supreme Court lifts limits on ICE stops in LA
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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass speaks at a press conference with immigrant community leaders in LA on Monday. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images
The Supreme Court on Monday lifted a federal judge's order requiring the Trump administration to stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests without probable cause in Los Angeles.
Why it matters: The temporary restraining order allowing for sweeping ICE raids that critics say is "blatant racial profiling" to continue is a win for the administration as President Trump plans to escalate immigration enforcement in other Democrat-run cities, including Chicago and Boston.
- The court's 6-3 majority ruling was swiftly criticized by California's Democratic leaders, while the Department of Homeland Security said on X in response to the order: "DHS law enforcement will continue to FLOOD THE ZONE in Los Angeles."
Driving the news: The ruling temporarily blocks the July court order that stopped ICE from targeting California residents based on race, language and work while a lawsuit challenging the action makes its way through the courts, with a hearing scheduled for Sept. 24.
Zoom in: Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in concurrence with the decision that U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong's order went too far in its restrictions on how ICE agents stop and question people.
- "To be clear, apparent ethnicity alone cannot furnish reasonable suspicion," he said. "However, it can be a 'relevant factor' when considered along with other salient factors."
- The Supreme Court's liberal justices dissented, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor writing: "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."
- She added: "Today, the Court needlessly subjects countless more to these exact same indignities."
What they're saying: The DHS in its X post called the Supreme Court's decision "a victory for the safety of Americans in California and for the rule of law," vowing to continue to "arrest and remove the criminal" undocumented immigrants it accused LA Mayor Karen Bass of protecting.
The other side: "Today's ruling is not only dangerous — it's un-American and threatens the fabric of personal freedom in the United States of America," Bass said in an emailed statement.
- "Today, the highest court in the country ruled that the White House and masked federal agents can racially profile Angelenos with no due process, snatch them off the street with no evidence or warrant, and take them away with no explanation."
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) wrote on X, "Trump's private police force now has a green light to come after your family. Every person is now a target."
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