A federal judge has ruled that the Department of Homeland Security’s recent mass deportation arrests in Los Angeles were illegal, citing racial profiling and denial of legal access.
Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong stated Friday that agents used “roving patrols” without reasonable suspicion and conducted operations resembling “a kidnapping.” She described unmarked vehicles, masked officers, and visible weapons.
“These detentive stops violate the Fourth Amendment,” she wrote, banning immigration arrests in central California unless agents have reasonable suspicion a person is in the U.S. illegally.
Frimpong criticized the government’s claim that agents were properly trained, saying the issue is “compliance with the existing law.” She cited reports that stops overwhelmingly targeted Latinos.
One example involved arrests at a car wash, which she said “falls woefully short” of the required suspicion standard.
The judge was also alarmed by the use of masks, which made accountability difficult.
She denied the Justice Department’s request to stay the ruling.
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