High court reverses lower court injunction
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the Trump administration, allowing federal immigration agents to resume raids in Southern California that had been temporarily blocked. The decision overturns a July 11 order from U.S. District Judge Maame Frimpong, who had found the government’s tactics likely violated Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.
Allegations of discriminatory enforcement
The lawsuit claimed that masked, armed federal officers conducted stops targeting people based on race, ethnicity, or the way they spoke, sometimes resembling sudden, forceful abductions. Jason Gavidia, one of the plaintiffs, said he was physically confronted after asserting his U.S. citizenship and being asked to name the hospital of his birth. Judge Frimpong’s injunction prohibited using factors such as skin color, language, type of work, or presence at particular locations like car washes and tow yards as the sole basis for detaining or questioning individuals, ruling that none of these alone meet the standard of “reasonable suspicion.”
Supreme Court divided
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals had denied the administration’s request to lift Frimpong’s order on August 1, prompting an appeal to the Supreme Court. Justice Department attorneys argued that officers needed flexibility in regions where roughly 10 percent of residents are undocumented. The court’s conservative majority sided with the administration, while the three liberal justices dissented. The ruling represents another instance in which the Supreme Court has allowed Trump’s immigration policies to move forward despite lower court challenges.
