Daijiworld Media Network – Washington
Washington, Aug 3: In a significant setback to the federal government, a US appeals court has upheld a ruling that blocks immigration agents from conducting “roving patrols” in Los Angeles, which were reportedly marked by racial profiling and unconstitutional detentions.
A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday denied the Biden administration’s appeal to overturn a lower court’s July order, which had temporarily halted the patrols. The court supported District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong’s stance that these detentions violated constitutional protections against unreasonable government seizures.
Judge Frimpong had earlier ruled that detentions were being made based on race, language, and occupation, noting that agents were stopping people simply for speaking Spanish or English with an accent, or for working in specific job sectors. She called for an immediate stop to such actions.
The appeals court cited the case of Jason Gavidia, a US citizen from East Los Angeles, who was detained at gunpoint outside a tow yard in Montebello despite clearly stating he was American. Agents, armed with military-style rifles, repeatedly questioned his citizenship, took his government-issued ID and phone, and never returned the ID.
The lawsuit was filed by California residents and immigrant rights groups against the Department of Homeland Security. Los Angeles has been a hotspot for controversial immigration enforcement since Donald Trump's presidency, with frequent detentions at car washes, farms, and bus stops.
Government lawyers claimed such businesses were targeted as they were likely to employ undocumented migrants. However, rights groups hailed the court’s decision as a victory for civil liberties.
"This decision is further confirmation that the administration's paramilitary invasion of Los Angeles violated the Constitution," said Mohammad Tajsar, attorney with the ACLU of Southern California. "We look forward to holding the federal government accountable for these authoritarian horrors it unleashed in Southern California."