A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to stop carrying out broad immigration raids across seven California counties, including Los Angeles, following accusations of racial profiling and unlawful detentions.
The ruling, issued on Friday by Judge Maame E. Frimpong, comes after immigrant advocacy groups filed a lawsuit claiming that federal agents were systematically targeting people based on their appearance — especially Latino workers — during immigration enforcement operations.
The plaintiffs include three Latino day labourers and two US citizens, one of whom was allegedly detained despite showing agents valid identification.
The lawsuit, filed in US District Court, argues that the raids violated constitutional protections under the Fourth and Fifth Amendments.
It describes arrests carried out without warrants and detainees being denied access to legal counsel at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in downtown Los Angeles.
Judge Frimpong also issued a separate order requiring the federal government to allow attorneys access to detainees at the LA facility.
During one incident in June, lawyers attempting to advise detainees were met with honking from government vehicles and what they described as tear gas being deployed.
Lawyers also said detainees were denied food, bedding, and proper phone access — allegedly coercing them to sign removal documents without consulting legal counsel.
Federal government attorney Sean Skedzielewski argued that agents acted on "individualised packages" and based actions on the "totality of the circumstances," not race.
The court’s order also applies to Ventura County, where federal agents reportedly detained dozens of workers during a raid on a cannabis farm while the court hearing was underway.
The raid led to clashes with protesters and several injuries.
The Attorneys General of 18 US states submitted legal briefs in support of the court’s ruling.
A previous court order had already barred Customs and Border Protection from conducting warrantless arrests in a separate region of eastern California.
