The U.S. Supreme Court today handed President Donald Trump a major victory, greenlighting the return of federal “roving” immigration raids across California. The ruling overturns a lower court’s block on the controversial sweeps—operations critics call blatant racial profiling that risk sweeping up lawful residents and U.S. citizens alike.
The raids, first halted in July by U.S. District Judge Maame E. Frimpong, had zeroed in on Latino neighborhoods, Spanish-speaking communities, and workers in industries such as construction and retail. Frimpong, a Biden appointee, found “strong evidence” that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was detaining people without cause or access to lawyers. The Ninth Circuit upheld her emergency order.
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But Trump pressed the high court to act, arguing that California’s estimated two million undocumented residents justified extraordinary measures. His administration claimed the raids gave agents a “1 in 10 chance” of catching a deportable migrant. Solicitor General John Sauer defended the approach, asserting that while factors like language or occupation are not proof of unlawful presence, they “heighten the likelihood” of immigration violations.
Immigrant rights advocates warned the justices that such reasoning would create an unprecedented dragnet, subjecting millions of lawful residents to arbitrary detention. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, writing in dissent, condemned the decision: “We should not have to live in a country where the Government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and works a low-wage job. Rather than stand idly by while our constitutional freedoms are lost, I dissent.”
The decision lands as Los Angeles simmers under Trump’s hard-line crackdown. Earlier this summer, he dispatched thousands of National Guard troops and Marines to quell protests. While troop levels have since receded, federal forces remain on standby to shield immigration agents and federal buildings.
The ruling also reflects Trump’s expanding law-and-order agenda in his second term. Just this week, he seized control of Washington, D.C.’s police force—an unprecedented move legal scholars warn could erase local autonomy.
With the Supreme Court now clearing the way for renewed raids, California once again stands at the heart of a constitutional fight over immigration
