Yesterday, Federal District Court for Central California Judge Maame E. Frimpong issued a temporary restraining order to stop ICE from indiscriminate detentions and arrests in the Los Angeles region that are based on appearance, language and location. The Judge ruled that ICE's procedures were a violation of the Fourth Amendment's prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures without probable cause. From the Associated Press:
"A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to halt indiscriminate immigration stops and arrests in seven California counties, including Los Angeles.
Immigrant advocacy groups filed the lawsuit last week accusing President Donald Trump’s administration of systematically targeting brown-skinned people in Southern California during its ongoing immigration crackdown. The plaintiffs include three detained immigrants and two U.S. citizens, one of whom was held despite showing agents his identification.
The filing in U.S. District Court asked a judge to block the administration from using what they call unconstitutional tactics in immigration raids. Immigrant advocates accuse immigration officials of detaining someone based on their race, carrying out warrantless arrests, and denying detainees access to legal counsel at a holding facility in downtown LA." (our emphasis)
ICE thugs have been raiding Home Depot parking lots, car washes and other places where they expect to find immigrants looking for day work or who are working. The Judge said that the Government had offered no evidence that they weren't making arrests on any basis other than targeting "brown skinned people in Southern California." The Government will be appealing the ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
The ruling was a key victory for immigrant rights groups and the Southern California jurisdictions that joined the suit against ICE. It may serve as a template for similar legal actions across the U.S. against ICE's unconstitutional tactics.
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