Lawsuit to block ICE raids in Los Angeles
ACLU attorneys asked a federal judge to block immigration raids in Southern California, claiming they target Latino communities through racial profiling and excessive force.
LOS ANGELES – ACLU attorneys urged a federal judge in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom to temporarily block what they describe as a wave of unconstitutional immigration raids sweeping across Southern California.
“What’s happening out in these streets is, if you’re brown and you happen to come into contact with these ICE agents and these Border Patrol agents, they will come for you,” said ACLU attorney Mohammad Tajsar.
The lawsuit accuses federal immigration agents of targeting Latino communities through racial profiling, excessive force, and denial of legal counsel. Attorneys point to a downtown L.A. processing facility known as “B-18,” where detainees are allegedly held without access to lawyers.
Tajsar told the court, “It does not take a federal judge to recognize that what the feds have done is laid siege to our communities, ripped families apart, torn them from their livelihoods.”
Another ACLU attorney, Rebecca Brown, added, “This case is very simple. What we’re asking the court to do is require the government to follow the law, the basic constitutional law that we all hold so dear.”
Attorneys for the federal government denied the allegations. They said agents are engaged in lawful “roving patrols” and assess individuals based on behavior, dress, and facial expressions, not race.
“Agents do not put on blinders and ignore the totality of the circumstances,” one government attorney told the court.
Among the plaintiffs is Brian Gavidia, a U.S. citizen who says he was wrongfully detained by ICE.
“I believe I was detained because I was walking while brown, sir,” Gavidia told the court. He continued, “What’s going down right now in the United States is wrong. I believe in the Constitution. We are ignoring it at this very moment. It is not right. We will not stand down. We are all Americans here. We will not allow this to happen.”
U.S. District Judge Maame Frimpong issued a tentative ruling that leans toward granting the temporary restraining order. However, she made it clear that her final decision could change based on the arguments presented in court. She expects to issue a ruling by Friday.
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