Federal Judge Bars ICE Racial Profiling, Orders Legal Access in California Raids

A federal judge in California, Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, issued a temporary restraining order barring the Trump administration's ICE from conducting immigration enforcement raids based on apparent race, ethnicity, or other profiling factors such as speaking Spanish or working in certain occupations. The ruling, prompted by a lawsuit from immigrant advocacy groups including the ACLU, criticized ICE for racially profiling Hispanics and detaining individuals without reasonable suspicion, violating Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights. The court found that ICE's roving patrols often swept up people solely based on Hispanic appearance or language, including American citizens, while denying detainees access to legal counsel. The order covers Los Angeles County and six surrounding counties and aims to halt unconstitutional immigration practices as the case progresses. The Trump administration and U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli strongly disagreed with the ruling, calling it an overreach, while California Governor Gavin Newsom praised it as a victory against racial profiling. ICE official Tom Homan defended the agency's practices on Fox News, stating agents do not need probable cause for brief detentions, instead relying on factors like location and appearance.