Supreme Court lifts limits on immigration raids in Los Angeles

The Supreme Court on Monday loosened restrictions on immigration raids in Los Angeles that a judge put in place after finding that federal authorities were likely using illegal racial-profiling tactics.

The justices, who ruled 6-3 along ideological lines, put on hold a federal district judge’s order that reined in what critics called “roving” raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote separately in support of the decision, saying it was reasonable to briefly question people who meet multiple “common sense” criteria for possible illegal presence — including employment in day labor or construction, and limited English proficiency.

The Justice Department complained in an emergency appeal filed last month that the court-ordered limitations amounted to “a straitjacket” for law enforcement officers carrying out President Donald Trump’s mass-deportation policy.

In July, U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong ruled that ICE agents were conducting “roving patrols” of L.A. and making arrests without “reasonable suspicion” that their targets were in the country illegally. 

Frimpong, a Biden appointee, prohibited immigration officials in the Los Angeles area from using those criteria to choose targets for enforcement. This Supreme Court decision undoes this lower court decision for now.