A federal judge in Los Angeles issued two temporary restraining orders on July 11, that block federal agents from conducting indiscriminate immigration raids in Southern California.
U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, a Biden appointee, found that there was a “mountain of evidence” that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Border Patrol agents were “indiscriminately rounding up numerous individuals without reasonable suspicion” in violation of the Fourth Amendment. The judge determined that federal agents were conducting unlawful “roving patrols” that relied primarily on racial profiling rather than legitimate law enforcement concerns.
The lawsuit, Vasquez Perdomo v. Noem, was filed on July 2, by a coalition of civil rights organizations, including the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, Public Counsel, and other advocacy groups. The case was brought on behalf of five individual plaintiffs who alleged they were racially targeted and unlawfully detained, as well as three membership organizations: the Los Angeles Worker Center Network, United Farm Workers, and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights.
The court issued two separate temporary restraining orders:
First TRO: Prohibiting Discriminatory Stops
The first order bars immigration agents from stopping individuals without reasonable suspicion and specifically prohibits relying on four factors – alone or in combination – including:
- Apparent race or ethnicity
- Speaking Spanish or English with an accent
- Presence in particular locations like bus stops, car washes, or agricultural sites
- The type of work the person performs
Second TRO: Ensuring Legal Access
The second order requires the Department of Homeland Security to provide access to counsel for people detained at B-18, the federal building in downtown Los Angeles, for eight hours on weekdays and four hours on weekends and holidays.
Since June 6, the Trump administration has deployed hundreds of federal agents from ICE, Border Patrol, and other agencies throughout Los Angeles and surrounding counties in what officials described as an effort to meet a daily quota of 3,000 immigration arrests nationwide. The operation has been supported by 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 active-duty Marines tasked with protecting federal buildings and immigration agents.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has defended the operations, stating that agents were preparing to round up “literally tens of thousands of targets” in Los Angeles and vowing that the administration would “not let up” in its immigration crackdown.
The court’s ruling detailed disturbing conditions at the B-18 facility in the basement of the federal building at 300 N. Los Angeles Avenue. Judge Frimpong found that as of June 20, over 300 individuals were being held in cramped, unsanitary conditions, often without access to food and fresh water for extended periods. Some detainees reportedly were so thirsty they had been drinking from toilets.
The facility, known as “the basement” among immigration attorneys, is designed for temporary processing of individuals for less than 12 hours before they are either released or transferred to longer-term detention facilities.
The Trump administration has strongly criticized the ruling. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, “A district judge is undermining the will of the American people,” she said. “America’s brave men and women are removing murderers, MS-13 gang members, pedophiles, rapists—truly the worst of the worst from Golden State communities.”
“Law and order will prevail.”
A recent Supreme Court decision has restricted the ability of lower federal courts to issue nationwide injunctions, broad orders that block federal policies across the entire country while a case is being litigated. The Court’s ruling means that district judges, like the one in Los Angeles, generally cannot block federal immigration enforcement actions outside their own jurisdiction unless the case is certified as a nationwide class action.
The Supreme Court’s decision does not eliminate all forms of nationwide relief, but it does require lower courts to tailor their orders to provide relief only to the plaintiffs or within their judicial district, unless a broader class is certified.
Attorney Bilal A. “Bill” Essayli maintained that federal agents “have never detained individuals without proper legal justification.”
Approximately half of the people currently held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention do not have a criminal conviction. Specifically, data from June 2025 indicates that around 41% to 72% of ICE detainees have no criminal convictions.
The immigration raids have had profound effects on immigrant and Latino communities throughout Southern California. Local hospitals report that cancellation rates have tripled since the raids began, with St. John’s Community Health noting significant drops in patient visits. A neighborhood farmer’s market in Los Angeles closed temporarily because farmers were “scared” to attend due to increased ICE activity.
The operations have also created widespread fear, with many residents afraid to leave their homes. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass condemned the raids, stating: “When you raid Home Depots and workplaces, when you tear parents and children apart, and when you run armored caravans through our streets, you’re not trying to keep anyone safe. You’re trying to cause fear and panic.”
