Justices reverse lower court order
The U.S. Supreme Court has granted the Trump administration permission to continue immigration raids in Southern California, endorsing an approach that relies on identifying individuals through race, ethnicity, or language. The ruling overturns a July 11 injunction issued by District Judge Maame Frimpong, who concluded the government’s tactics likely violated Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.
Claims of unlawful detentions
According to the lawsuit, heavily armed federal agents in masks carried out patrols that focused on people with brown skin or those speaking Spanish or accented English. Plaintiffs described being detained in ways that felt like forced abductions. One man, Jason Gavidia, said officers physically assaulted him after refusing to accept his U.S. citizenship and demanding he reveal the hospital where he was born. Frimpong’s order specifically barred the use of race, language, workplace, or location alone to justify stops or arrests, ruling these characteristics did not amount to “reasonable suspicion.”
Court splits along ideological lines
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals had previously denied the administration’s request to lift Frimpong’s restrictions on August 1, prompting the Justice Department to appeal to the Supreme Court. Federal attorneys argued that officers needed a broad set of criteria to operate in an area where an estimated 10 percent of the population lacks legal immigration status. The court’s conservative majority accepted this argument, while the three liberal justices dissented. The decision continues a pattern of victories for Trump’s immigration agenda before the high court.
