LOS ANGELES – The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled to uphold the temporary restraining order that blocks federal agents from continuing aggressive immigration raids in Los Angeles.
The ruling was announced Friday night after a three-judge panel heard arguments earlier in the week.
Mayor Karen Bass celebrated the ruling, calling it a major victory for the city.
“The court essentially affirmed the rule of law. This is a victory upholding the Constitution. The people of Los Angeles stood strong, and this court order affirms that federal immigration officers or the mask people, because in many cases, we weren’t sure who they were, cannot stop people based solely on their appearance, their race or ethnicity, the language that they speak, being present at certain locations, or the type of work that they do,” Bass said during a Friday night press conference.
She said this decision means LA will continue to see peace in the city as it puts a stop to roving patrols in Southern California.
The ruling is a major setback for the Trump administration, which had aimed to ramp up immigration arrests. Bass said the administration could appeal the temporary restraining order to the Supreme Court.
The backstory:
The appeal stems from a lawsuit filed July 2 by SoCal residents, workers and advocacy groups alleging the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is operating a program of “abducting and disappearing” community members using unlawful arrest tactics, then confining detainees in illegal conditions while denying access to attorneys.
The proposed class-action suit brought in Los Angeles federal court by five workers as well as three membership organizations and a legal services provider alleges that DHS has unconstitutionally arrested and detained people in order to meet arbitrary arrest quotas set by the Trump administration.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: ACLU announces lawsuit against DHS over ‘unlawful’ immigration raids
The Source: Information for this story came from a press conference held August 1, 2025 by LA Mayor Karen Bass.