A federal California judge has ordered the Trump administration to stop “indiscriminately” detaining people thought to be in the US illegally.
The decision came down in a temporary restraining order issued against the government on Friday, which also bars immigration officials from denying individuals access to lawyers.
The case was brought in a lawsuit filed by three immigrants, arrested at a Pasadena bus stop while looking for work, and two US citizens who were held, one of whom had reportedly shown an ID.
The Department of Homeland Security responded to the judge’s order in a social media post, accusing her of “undermining the will of the American people”.
US District Judge Maame Frimpong’s emergency orders are a temporary measure while the lawsuit continues.
In her order, Judge Frimpong said there was a “mountain of evidence” to support that officials have been performing “roving patrols”, defined as “indiscriminately rounding up individuals without reasonable suspicion”. This would violate the US Constitution, she said.
The government cannot base its immigration arrests “solely” on factors including “race or ethnicity”, “speaking Spanish or speaking English with an accent”, or “presence at a particular location” such as a bus stop or car wash, Judge Frimpong said.
Judge Frimpong’s decision comes as the Trump administration has ramped up its efforts to crackdown on illegal immigration, particularly in California, a Democratic stronghold that has long held the ire of President Donald Trump.
Raids in Los Angeles, in particular, were met with widespread protests over immigration enforcement in the region.
An immigration raid at a marijuana farm in California on Thursday led to violent protests and the arrests of more than 200 people, including 10 minors.
Some farm workers were critically injured during the “chaotic” Ventura County raids, the United Farm Workers said in a statement.
Human rights advocates have accused the government of illegal discrimination and denying people their Constitutional rights.
“No matter the color of their skin, what language they speak, or where they work, everyone is guaranteed constitutional rights to protect them from unlawful stops,” Mohammad Tajsar, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, said in a statement.
The government, however, says it is prioritising violent criminals as ICE tries to meet a daily quota of 3,000 daily arrests, part of Trump’s stated goal to launch the “largest deportation” campaign in US history.
“America’s brave men and women are removing murderers, MS-13 gang members, pedophiles, rapists—truly the worst of the worst from Golden State communities,” Homeland Security wrote on X, in response to the judge’s order.
