Immigration Advocacy Organizations Contest ICE Actions in LA
In a move that has sparked significant controversy, the Trump administration's recent immigration raids in Los Angeles have been met with a federal class-action lawsuit. Filed on July 2, 2025, the lawsuit accuses the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of violating the Fourth and Fifth Amendments through practices such as suspicionless stops, warrantless arrests, racial profiling, and denial of legal counsel.
The lawsuit, which includes three detained immigrants, several immigrant rights organizations, and two U.S. citizens as plaintiffs, was filed in a Los Angeles-based federal court. However, the predicted effects are only expected to be enforced within Southern California.
The coalition of workers, family members, and community groups behind the lawsuit includes the Los Angeles Worker Center Network, United Farm Workers, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), Immigrant Defenders Law Center, and the UC Irvine Immigrant and Racial Justice Solidarity Clinic.
The suit argues that DHS agents have been conducting arrests without proper suspicion or warrants, engaging in racial profiling that disproportionately targets people with brown or dark skin, using excessive force, and detaining individuals in harsh conditions while denying them access to attorneys. The lawsuit highlights inhumane conditions in detention facilities like the "B-18" holding area in downtown Los Angeles.
In response, the Department of Homeland Security defends its operations, claiming their immigration agents are focused on arresting "criminal illegal aliens" and deny engaging in racial profiling or holding detainees in substandard conditions. Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated the agency would "double down and ramp up enforcement actions against the worst of the worst criminals" despite political opposition, emphasizing a commitment to continuing raids.
Mohammad Tajsar, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, representing the plaintiffs, condemned the raids as unconstitutional terror tactics targeting people based on skin color and vowed to hold DHS accountable through the courts. The groups involved seek injunctive relief to stop further unlawful raids and the certification of plaintiff classes to represent those affected by these practices.
Los Angeles city leaders have expressed intent to file legal challenges against ICE for these raids, citing harm to communities and local businesses, though as of early July 2025, no formal city lawsuit had been filed.
The lawsuit does not specify the number of plaintiffs or the specific industries targeted by the Trump administration's enforcement actions. It is worth noting that ICE detention standards are higher than those in most U.S. prisons that hold U.S. citizens, and ICE facilities provide detainees with proper meals, medical treatment, and opportunities to communicate with lawyers and family members.
Public Counsel attorney Mark Rosenbaum predicts that a favorable judgment in the case could have national reverberations, but notes that it won't be enforced outside of Southern California. The federal government's immigration raids remain a focus of the lawsuit, with advocates calling for an end to random people being taken in the city.
The lawsuit filed against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in a Los Angeles-based federal court includes allegations of violations during immigration raids, such as suspicionless stops, racial profiling, and denial of legal counsel, which fall under the categories of 'war-and-conflicts', 'politics', and 'general-news'. The case also concerns the issue of inhumane conditions in detention facilities like the "B-18" holding area in downtown Los Angeles, which falls under 'crime-and-justice'.
