Court affirms interim halt on Trump-instigated LA immigrant apprehensions
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a temporary restraining order that blocks the Trump administration's "roving patrols" by ICE agents in Southern California. These patrols are barred from detaining or arresting people on the street without first having reasonable suspicion that the person is in the country illegally.
The court ruled that stops cannot be based on race, ethnicity, language, location, or occupation alone or in combination, as doing so would violate the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.
This legal challenge originated when immigrant advocacy groups sued, accusing the administration of targeting individuals based on race and ethnicity in its immigration raids. U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong initially issued the injunction, emphasizing that reasonable suspicion must be individualized and not based on impermissible factors, consistent with Fourth Amendment rights.
The Ninth Circuit agreed, affirming that people have a constitutional right to live their lives without being subject to stops or arrests solely on discriminatory or insufficient grounds. The court's rulings protect against such practices, requiring reasonable suspicion grounded in specific facts rather than on generalized or discriminatory characteristics.
Judge Frimpong wrote that the factors relied upon by the defendants for reasonable suspicion seemed no more indicative of illegal presence in the country than of legal presence, such as working at low-wage occupations like car wash attendants and day laborers.
The hearing for a preliminary injunction is scheduled for September.
The White House's experiment on Los Angeles was focused on large-scale immigration crackdown. The Pentagon assisted in protecting property while immigration enforcement made arrests, but the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles ended following the court's rulings.
The lawsuit included three detained immigrants and two U.S. citizens as plaintiffs. Mayor Karen Bass wrote that the White House's experiment on Los Angeles failed. The federal appeals court upheld a lower court's temporary order blocking President Donald Trump's administration from its "roving patrols" amid its large-scale immigration crackdown in Los Angeles.
This decision marks a significant victory for immigrant rights advocates and those who believe in the protection of civil liberties. It reaffirms the principle that federal agents need lawful and constitutionally valid suspicion to conduct such patrols.
[1] Los Angeles Times, "Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upholds temporary restraining order blocking Trump administration's immigration patrols in California," 30 July 2020. [online] Available at: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-07-30/ninth-circuit-court-of-appeals-upholds-temporary-restraining-order-blocking-trump-administrations-immigration-patrols-in-california
[2] Reuters, "U.S. appeals court upholds order blocking Trump administration's California immigration patrols," 30 July 2020. [online] Available at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-california/u-s-appeals-court-upholds-order-blocking-trump-administrations-california-immigration-patrols-idUSKCN2501ZI
[3] CNN, "Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upholds temporary restraining order against Trump's immigration patrols in California," 30 July 2020. [online] Available at: https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/30/politics/ninth-circuit-court-of-appeals-trump-immigration-patrols-california/index.html
- The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' decision to uphold a temporary restraining order against the Trump administration's immigration patrols in California, which was based on allegations of targeting individuals based on race and ethnicity, is significant in the broader context of war-and-conflicts, politics, and general-news, as it highlights the ongoing discussions and legal battles surrounding immigration policies and civil liberties.
- The courts' rulings, such as the one upholding the temporary restraining order against the Trump administration's immigration patrols, protect against discriminatory practices and set important precedents in the areas of crime-and-justice and Fourth Amendment rights, ensuring that people cannot be subjected to stops or arrests solely on discriminatory or insufficient grounds.
