A federal judge in Los Angeles has issued a temporary order preventing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and all others from using “apparent race or ethnicity” to determine potential enforcement actions.
The late Friday ruling sets up additional hearing action in the coming week, where the judge may decide to impose more permanent provisions.
U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong ruled in a case brought by people detained by the government following enforcement actions. They are represented by American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) attorneys.
The ACLU posted the order, which specifies that government agents are prevented from certain actions in deciding who can be stopped and questioned about immigration legalities.
“Defendants may not rely solely on the factors including apparent race or ethnicity, speaking Spanish, or speaking English with an accent, presence at a particular location, eg. bus stop, car wash, tow yard, day, laborer, pickup site, agricultural site,” with one final factor of, “or the type of work one does.”
The Los Angeles Times reported the order covers Los Angeles County and six others in the state. The Times reported a response from White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson, who said, “No federal judge has the authority to dictate immigration policy - that authority rests with Congress and the President.” She called the decision a “gross overstep of judicial authority” and predicted it would be “corrected on appeal.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom posted, “Justice prevailed today. The court’s decision puts a temporary stop to federal immigration officials violating people’s rights and racial profiling.”
U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli posted a strong rebuke of the judge’s ruling and said allegations are not always truthful. “We strongly disagree with the allegations in the lawsuit and maintain that our agents have never detained individuals without proper legal justification.”
Essayli’s closing comment gave the impression that nothing would change in the government’s approach to immigration enforcement. “Our federal agents will continue to enforce the law and abide by the U.S. Constitution.”
California continues to be a flash point for protests about immigration enforcement by the Trump administration. The latest incident involved an immigration enforcement action at a marijuana processing facility outside Los Angeles that ended in a clash between federal agents and protesters. And Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced on Friday that the city would begin giving cash cards to illegal aliens who are afraid to go out in public or to work, to help with mounting expenses.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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