Judge Halts Tactics Used in California Immigration Raids

A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to halt indiscriminate immigration stops and arrests in seven California counties, including Los Angeles. Immigrant advocacy groups filed the lawsuit last week accusing President Trump's administration of systematically targeting brown-skinned people in Southern California during its ongoing immigration crackdown. The plaintiffs include three detained immigrants and two US citizens, one of whom was held despite showing agents his identification, reports the AP. What you need to know:

• The filing in US District Court asked a judge to block the administration from using what they call unconstitutional tactics in immigration raids.
• When detaining the three day laborers who are plaintiffs in the lawsuit, all immigration agents knew about them is that they were Latino and were dressed in construction work clothes, the filing in the lawsuit said. It goes on to describe raids at swap meets and Home Depots where witnesses say federal agents grabbed anyone who "looked Hispanic."
• Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said in an email that "any claims that individuals have been 'targeted' by law enforcement because of their skin color are disgusting and categorically FALSE." McLaughlin said "enforcement operations are highly targeted, and officers do their due diligence" before making arrests.
• The Los Angeles Times describes the potential impact: "If adhered to, the ruling would stop immigration agents from roving around Home Depots and car washes, stopping brown-skinned, Spanish-speaking day laborers and others to arrest on immigration charges, as they have been for the past month."

• Judge Maame E. Frimpong also issued a separate order barring the federal government from restricting attorney access at a Los Angeles immigration detention facility.
• Frimpong issued the emergency orders, which are a temporary measure while the lawsuit proceeds, the day after a hearing during which advocacy groups argued that the government was violating the Fourth and Fifth amendments of the Constitution. The New York Times reports the ruling can be in effect for up to 10 days.
• She wrote in the order there was a "mountain of evidence" presented in the case that the federal government was committing the violations they were being accused of.
• The White House responded quickly to the ruling late Friday: "No federal judge has the authority to dictate immigration policy—that authority rests with Congress and the President," spokesperson Abigail Jackson said. "Enforcement operations require careful planning and execution; skills far beyond the purview (or) jurisdiction of any judge. We expect this gross overstep of judicial authority to be corrected on appeal."