Trending 
A federal judge on Friday ruled that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been conducting stops and arrests in Los Angeles immigration raids without probable cause.
US District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong ordered DHS to cease detaining individuals solely based on their race, spoken language, or occupation.
Judge Frimpong’s ruling mandates that DHS must develop new guidance for officers to establish “reasonable suspicion” that does not rely on a person’s apparent race or ethnicity, their language or accent, their presence at a specific location like a bus stop, or the type of work they do.
ACLU Lawsuit Leads to Restraining Order
This decision stems from a lawsuit filed last week by the ACLU of Southern California on behalf of five individuals and immigration advocacy groups.
The lawsuit alleged that DHS, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), was making unconstitutional arrests and denying detainees access to legal counsel.
Judge Frimpong’s ruling, which is limited to the seven-county jurisdiction of the US Central District of California (including Los Angeles), explicitly stated that the plaintiffs successfully demonstrated that the Trump administration “is indeed conducting roving patrols without reasonable suspicion and denying access to lawyers.”
The temporary restraining order also extends to the FBI and the Justice Department, both of whom were named as defendants and involved in immigration enforcement.
Furthermore, DHS has been ordered to regularly document and provide arrest records to the plaintiffs’ legal counsel.
During a hearing on Thursday, Judge Frimpong expressed scepticism about the government’s arguments, which claimed DHS agents initiated stops based on intelligence or “trend analysis,” not race.
She repeatedly pressed for evidence of actionable intelligence, noting, “It’s hard for the court to believe you couldn’t find one case with a report of why someone was targeted.”
In a separate temporary restraining order, Frimpong also blocked DHS from denying detainees access to counsel, including visits and calls, at a holding facility known as “B-18,” where advocacy groups had raised concerns about a lack of legal access and inhumane conditions.
Trump Administration Condemns Ruling; California Officials Applaud
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin condemned the ruling, stating it “is undermining the will of the American people.”
President Donald Trump, since returning to the White House, has aggressively pursued stricter immigration enforcement, including calling for ICE to expand deportation efforts in Democratic cities and deploying thousands of National Guard troops to Los Angeles in response to protests against immigration raids. His administration had previously sued the city of Los Angeles over its “sanctuary city” policy.
Conversely, California Governor Gavin Newsom celebrated the ruling on X, declaring, “California stands with the law and the Constitution—and I call on the Trump Administration to do the same.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass similarly praised the decision as “an important step toward restoring safety, security, and defending the rights of all Angelenos.”
Mohammad Tajsar, senior staff attorney for the ACLU of Southern California, emphasised the core principle of the ruling, stating, “No matter the colour of their skin, what language they speak, or where they work, everyone is guaranteed constitutional rights to protect them from unlawful stops.”
