Federal Judge Orders Trump Admin to Halt Immigration Operations Without Probable Cause in California

The decision followed a lawsuit filed by illegal immigrant advocacy groups.

Police officers stand flanked by California National Guard members outside the Federal Building during a protest in response to federal immigration operations in Los Angeles, on June 9, 2025. Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images

A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on July 11 temporarily blocking the Trump administration from carrying out immigration stops and arrests in Los Angeles without probable cause.

The decision by District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong followed a lawsuit brought by illegal immigrant advocacy groups, which accused the administration of targeting people in Southern California based on their race and of arresting people without a warrant amid the federal government’s ongoing efforts to end illegal immigration.

In a 52-page ruling, the judge ordered the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to stop detaining people based on their race, spoken language or accent, occupation, or presence in specific locations such as bus stops.

Frimpong stated that the administration failed to provide the basis for any of the immigration stops and arrests carried out during the enforcement operations.

The judge determined that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed in proving that the immigration stops and arrests were based on the four “enumerated factors” and lacked “reasonable suspicion” that the individuals targeted were illegal immigrants.

“The factors that defendants appear to rely on for reasonable suspicion seem no more indicative of illegal presence in the country than of legal presence—such as working at low-wage occupations such as car wash attendants and day laborers. This is insufficient and impermissible, and is the proper subject of an injunction,” Frimpong stated.

Frimpong also ordered DHS to provide detainees allegedly held in a room known as “B-18,” located in the basement of a federal building in downtown Los Angeles, with access to “confidential telephone calls” with legal representatives and legal assistants at no cost.

“Such legal telephone calls shall not be screened, recorded, or otherwise monitored,” the judge stated.

DHS is also required to allow legal visitation for detainees seven days a week, with a minimum of eight hours per day on weekdays and at least four hours per day on weekends, according to the ruling.

In an emailed statement to The Epoch Times, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the judge was “undermining the will of the American people” with the recent ruling.

“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,” McLaughlin stated. “Law and order will prevail.”

The suit, which alleges that immigration raids violate the Fourth Amendment and Fifth Amendment rights of thousands of people, was brought on July 2 by multiple civil and immigration rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California.

In the lawsuit, the groups alleged that brown-skinned individuals had suddenly been approached and pulled aside by federal agents “with a show of force” and were made to answer questions about their names and origins.

Such encounters allegedly could lead to arrests if the individuals targeted “hesitate, attempt to leave, or do not answer the questions to the satisfaction of the agents,” even though the agents allegedly may not have had warrants to detain them, according to the court filing.

DHS has denied accusations of racial profiling, calling it a “disgusting” smear tactic against law enforcement officers. McLaughlin said on July 3 that “enforcement operations are highly targeted, and officers do their due diligence” before making arrests.

“All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with lawyers and their family members,” McLaughlin stated.

DHS stated on June 26 that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Los Angeles have resulted in the arrests of criminal illegal aliens and convictions for charges including murder, pedophilia, fentanyl trafficking, spousal abuse, sexual assault, and armed robbery.

Protests against ICE operations erupted in Los Angeles on June 6, following the arrest of dozens of illegal immigrants in the city as part of the Trump administration’s mass deportation operation. To quell the protests, which devolved into riots in certain areas, President Donald Trump deployed members of the National Guard and Marines. California Gov. Gavin Newsom objected to the deployment.

John Fredricks and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This article has been updated with the latest response from DHS.