Appeals Court Maintains Order Restricting Immigration Operations in Los Angeles

Government lawyers have argued that the district judge’s restraining order caused restraints on lawful immigration enforcement.

Law enforcement officers shoot non-lethal munitions, as people march as part of protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Los Angeles on June 11, 2025. Leah Millis/Reuters

A federal appeals court on Aug. 1 upheld a lower court ruling that barred federal agents from carrying out immigration stops and arrests targeting illegal immigrants without probable cause in Los Angeles.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected an emergency motion filed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to stay a temporary restraining order issued by Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, on July 11.