The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday backed President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, allowing federal agents to resume raids in Southern California that target people for deportation based partly on race or language.
The court granted the Justice Department’s request to pause a lower court order that had barred agents from stopping or detaining individuals without “reasonable suspicion” of being undocumented. That ruling had prohibited reliance on race, ethnicity, or speaking Spanish or accented English as justification.
Backlash From California Leaders
California Governor Gavin Newsom condemned the ruling, saying Trump’s handpicked majority turned the court into the “grand marshal for a parade of racial terror in Los Angeles.”
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by the court’s other two liberals, dissented sharply: “The administration has all but declared that all Latinos, U.S. citizens or not, who work low-wage jobs are fair game to be seized at any time.”
Trump’s Escalation of Raids
Trump, who returned to office in January, vowed to escalate deportations and has already deployed masked federal agents and even military troops to Los Angeles amid protests. His aide Stephen Miller earlier set a target of 3,000 arrests per day.
Plaintiffs in the case—including U.S. citizens—said agents stopped them in public places “with a show of force” simply because of their skin color or language. The ACLU of Southern California called the ruling a “devastating setback” for immigrant communities.
Court’s Reasoning
While siding with the administration, Justice Brett Kavanaugh noted that ethnicity alone cannot justify a stop, but can serve as a “relevant factor” when combined with others.
What’s Next
The ruling lifts restrictions imposed in July by Judge Maame Frimpong, who had found the raids likely violated the Fourth Amendment. Legal challenges are ongoing, but for now, agents can resume roving patrols in California without those limits.
Leave a Reply