A federal judge has ruled against the Donald Trump administration, ordering the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to halt immigration arrests in Southern California unless there is probable cause.
What Happened: US District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong found that the DHS had been conducting arrests in Los Angeles without probable cause, as per a CNN report. The judge, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, ordered the DHS to stop detaining individuals based solely on race, spoken language, or occupation.
The ruling, which came after a case was filed by the ACLU of Southern California, is limited to the seven-county jurisdiction of the US Central District of California. The judge criticized the Trump administration for failing to provide information about the basis for the arrests.
Additionally, the DHS has been ordered to maintain and provide regular documentation of arrests to plaintiffs’ counsel. The ruling also applies to the FBI and the Justice Department, both of which were listed as defendants in the lawsuit.
Why It Matters: The ruling comes amid a series of immigration-related events. In June, former President Barack Obama called for dignity in immigration enforcement as protests against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown escalated. Trump, on the other hand, had barred nearly all immigration and travel from 12 nations, citing poor vetting and terrorism threats.
Meanwhile, in California, Governor Gavin Newsom proposed freezing healthcare access for undocumented immigrants as a strategy to address a $12 billion deficit. The proposed freeze would prevent low-income adults without legal status from applying for Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program, beginning in 2026.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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