Judge restricts Trump immigration raids in Los Angeles, other California counties
A federal judge on Friday temporarily barred the Trump administration from conducting broad, untargeted immigration stops and arrests in parts of California.
The temporary restraining order blocks the Department of Homeland Security from making arrests of people based solely on factors like race, accent, the type of work they do and their presence at a particular location -- such as day laborer pick up sites and agricultural sites.
The order comes after a lawsuit filed by immigrant advocacy groups accused federal agents of targeting Latino communities with unconstitutional tactics — including warrantless arrests, racial profiling and denying access to legal counsel.
Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, a Biden appointee, sided with the ACLU of Southern California and other groups who filed the lawsuit, finding that "roving patrols" without reasonable suspicion are unconstitutional.
"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 wrote.
Notably, the judge’s decision applies to several counties including Los Angeles and Ventura, where an immigration enforcement operation at a cannabis farm turned violent when protesters clashed with agents.
The judge will hold a hearing on the case in the coming days.
-ABC News' Armando Garcia
