Key Takeaways
- A federal appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order prohibiting U.S. government agents from making immigration-related arrests in Los Angeles without probable cause.
- The ruling by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration's request to pause the lower court's order, agreeing that plaintiffs would likely prove federal agents used unlawful tactics like racial profiling.
- The ban specifically prevents detaining individuals based solely on "apparent race or ethnicity," speaking Spanish or accented English, or being at certain locations such as bus stops or day laborer sites.
A federal appeals court late on Friday affirmed a lower court's decision to temporarily bar U.S. government agents from making immigration-related arrests in Los Angeles without probable cause. This ruling by the three-judge panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration's appeal to overturn the temporary restraining order, which was issued on July 12.
The appeals court judges concurred with the lower court's finding that the plaintiffs would likely be able to demonstrate that federal agents had conducted arrests based on individuals' appearance, language, and where they lived or worked. The lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) along with the City of Los Angeles and other Southern California municipalities, accused federal agents of employing unlawful police tactics, including racial profiling, to meet immigration arrest quotas set by the administration.
The upheld order specifically blocks federal officials from detaining people based solely on factors such as "apparent race or ethnicity," speaking Spanish or accented English, or being present at locations like a "bus stop, car wash, tow yard, day labourer pick up site, agricultural site, etc." Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass lauded the decision, calling it a "victory for the rule of law" and emphasizing the city's commitment to protecting residents from racial profiling and other illegal tactics.
This legal challenge follows the Trump administration's aggressive immigration strategy in the Los Angeles region, which included the deployment of National Guard troops and U.S. Marines in June in response to protests against immigration raids. A California judge had previously blocked the administration from racially profiling immigrants in its pursuit of deportation targets and from denying immigrants access to lawyers during their detention. The Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to requests for comment following the ruling.
Ed Liston is a senior contributing editor at TheStockMarketWatch.com. An active market watcher and investor, Ed guides an independent team of experienced analysts and writes for multiple stock trader publications.