U.S. judge blocks immigration arrests in Los Angeles over racial profiling claims
U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong ruled after hearing arguments in a lawsuit filed by immigrant rights groups, three detained immigrants, and two U.S. citizens.
The plaintiffs say the actions of immigration agents have terrorized communities, forced immigrants into hiding, and harmed the local economy.
Frimpong said there was substantial evidence suggesting that federal agents targeted individuals based on race, language, occupation, or geographic location — including areas like Home Depot parking lots and car washes — to establish 'reasonable suspicion' of immigration violations.
She concluded that such practices, whether used alone or in combination, fall short of the constitutional protections guaranteed under the Fourth Amendment.
'What the federal government would have this Court believe in the face of a mountain of evidence presented in this case is that none of this is actually happening,' Frimpong stated.
She ordered that federal agents cannot rely on discriminatory indicators to detain individuals and ruled that detainees held at the B-18 federal detention center in downtown Los Angeles must have 24-hour access to attorneys and confidential phone lines.
The plaintiffs allege that immigration agents operated aggressively across Southern California, targeting brown-skinned individuals without warrants or probable cause and failing to identify themselves during arrests. Once in custody, the complaint claims detainees were subjected to inhumane conditions at B-18, including lack of legal access, food, and water.
Frimpong said the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in their legal challenge at trial.
According to data released by the Department of Homeland Security, immigration authorities have arrested nearly 2,800 undocumented individuals in the Los Angeles area since June 6. — Agencies
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