U.S. Judge Halts Trump Immigration Stops in Southern California

A federal judge has temporarily barred the Trump administration from carrying out warrantless immigration stops across seven Southern California counties, issuing a sweeping restraining order that blocks the use of race, language, occupation or location as grounds for questioning or detaining people. U.S. District Judge Maame E. Frimpong ruled late Friday that “roving patrols” without reasonable suspicion likely violate the Fourth Amendment and that denying detainees access to lawyers infringes the Fifth Amendment. The court order, effective for up to 10 days while the case proceeds, requires Immigration and Customs Enforcement to document every stop, craft new guidance defining "reasonable suspicion," train agents and open the downtown Los Angeles holding facility to attorney visits seven days a week. The ruling responds to a lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Southern California and Public Counsel on behalf of three immigrants and two U.S. citizens who say they were swept up in raids that began last month. Federal officials dispute the allegations. The Department of Homeland Security says nearly 3,000 arrests since early June were lawful and targeted, and a White House spokesperson called the decision an overreach that the administration expects to challenge. The case could shape immigration enforcement nationwide as Trump expands deportation operations.