Our Fight for Justice and Equal Protection Continues
Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court granted the federal government’s request to stay a temporary restraining order (TRO) that had protected Los Angeles communities from unlawful immigration stops based solely on race, language, location or occupation. This decision lifts crucial protections and gives the green light for federal agencies—including the Department of Homeland Security—to resume raids that two lower courts found unconstitutional in Vasquez Perdomo v. Noem.
The lower courts had barred immigration agents from stopping and detaining people based on skin color, the language they speak, being in the wrong place, or working certain jobs. These are not reasons for “reasonable suspicion”—they are excuses for discrimination.
As Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in her dissenting opinion:
“We should not have to live in a country where the Government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low wage job. Rather than stand idly by while our constitutional freedoms are lost, I dissent.”
For too many in our city, these raids mean being harassed, targeted, and separated from loved ones simply because of who they are. The Supreme Court’s decision will only deepen the fear and uncertainty in our communities, making daily life even more dangerous and unpredictable for ordinary people just trying to go about their day.
While this order is a blow to our community’s safety and dignity, it does not end our fight, and our case will proceed. On September 24, we will be back in federal court, seeking preliminary injunctions to secure more permanent protections against these unlawful raids and to guarantee access to counsel for those detained at B-18, the basement holding facility in the downtown federal building.
As Public Counsel’s Rebecca Brown, one of the lead lawyers on this case, shared at our press conference:
“This fight is far from over. We are working in court, in our neighborhoods, and in solidarity across the country to make sure this decision is not the final word. We will not stop until our Constitution’s promise of equal protection applies to everyone in our community, and we will keep working until every Angeleno can live with safety, dignity, and freedom.”
We are grateful to our clients, partners, and advocates for standing with us—and we remain unwavering in our commitment to justice for all Angelenos and our country.
- Read our press release here.
- For more on Vasquez-Perdomo v. Noem, click here.
Watch Rebecca Brown’s remarks at the press conference:
