According to the Associated Press, a U.S. federal judge ordered the Trump administration on the 11th to stop arbitrarily stopping and arresting immigrants in seven California counties, including Los Angeles. Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong also ordered the federal government not to restrict lawyers from entering the Los Angeles immigration detention center.
The report pointed out that immigrant rights organizations filed a lawsuit in court last week, accusing US President Trump of systematically targeting brown-skinned people in Southern California in his ongoing crackdown on immigration. This includes three detained immigrants and two U.S. citizens, one of whom was detained despite showing his identity documents.
In this document submitted to the U.S. District Court, the judge was asked to stop the Trump administration from using unconstitutional means in its raids on immigrants. Immigration officials arrested people based on race and refused to provide legal counsel to detainees in a detention center in downtown Los Angeles.
In his order, Frimpong wrote that the case provides “substantial evidence” that the federal government is committing the alleged illegal acts.
The White House responded to the ruling on the night of the 11th. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said, “No federal judge has the power to decide immigration policy. This power belongs to Congress and the president.” “Law enforcement actions must be carefully planned and executed, and their skills are far beyond the scope of any judge’s authority. We hope that this serious violation of judicial authority will be corrected on appeal.” Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), said in an email, “Any claim that an individual is targeted by law enforcement because of the color of their skin is disgusting and absolutely wrong. Law enforcement actions are highly targeted, and police officers will do their duty before arresting. The judge is undermining the will of the American people.”
