Supreme Court clears path for Trump immigration raids in Los Angeles

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 Sept. 8 to lift restrictions that blocked the Trump administration from conducting immigration raids in Los Angeles, allowing operations to resume while a legal challenge continues.

The order set aside a lower court injunction that barred Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from conducting raids in Los Angeles County. 

In July, US District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong ruled that ICE agents detained immigrants without reasonable suspicion, often based on race or accent, FOX News reported. The Ninth Circuit upheld that ruling, prompting the administration to seek emergency relief from the Supreme Court. 

The majority gave no explanation, but Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in a concurring opinion that ICE may meet the reasonable suspicion standard. He added that ethnicity alone cannot justify detention, though it can be considered as one factor.

In dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor called the decision “troubling,” warning it risked permitting arrests based on appearance or language.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) celebrated the ruling as a win for public safety in a Sept. 8 X post. 

“This decision is a victory for the safety of Americans in California and for the rule of law,” the agency wrote. “DHS will continue to arrest and remove the criminal illegal aliens that @MayorOfLA is protecting.”

The case now returns to the Ninth Circuit, but ICE raids can proceed under the Supreme Court’s order.