A federal appeals court has upheld a temporary ban preventing U.S. immigration agents from making arrests in Los Angeles without probable cause, dealing a blow to the Trump administration’s enforcement tactics. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled late Friday that plaintiffs—including the city of Los Angeles and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)—were likely to prove federal agents engaged in racial profiling by targeting individuals based on appearance, language, or location.
The decision affirms a lower court’s restraining order blocking Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents from detaining people solely for speaking Spanish or accented English, or for being at places like bus stops, day labor sites, or car washes. This ruling marks a major victory for immigrant advocates after President Trump deployed National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles in June to support immigration raids, an unprecedented domestic military mobilization.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass hailed the decision, stating it preserves protections against “racial profiling and illegal tactics” in ICE operations. ACLU attorney Mohammad Tajsar called it confirmation that the administration’s “paramilitary invasion” of LA violated constitutional rights. The unsigned Ninth Circuit opinion rejected the government’s request to pause the restraining order, emphasizing the “irreparable injury” caused by aggressive enforcement.
Why It Matters
The case stems from a June 2024 lawsuit accusing ICE of unlawful arrest quotas and denying detainees access to lawyers. While the Trump administration can still appeal to the Supreme Court, the ruling sets a precedent limiting warrantless immigration arrests in public spaces. With Southern California municipalities backing the ACLU’s challenge, the decision could influence similar battles over ICE tactics in other liberal-leaning jurisdictions.
