NewsMyNewsLAOctober 29, 2026Los Angeles County
U.S. District Judge Maame Frimpong Blocks DHS From Conducting Suspicionless and Racially Discriminatory Immigration Stops in Southern California
Photo: MyNewsLA
A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from conducting suspicionless, racially profiled immigration stops across seven Southern California counties. The court order bans agents from relying solely on an individual's apparent Latino ethnicity or working-class status to establish reasonable suspicion for detention.
Read the full story at MyNewsLAWhy It Matters
Residents across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties gain judicial protection from warrantless stops based on race, carrying implications for day-to-day policing and constitutional rights in local immigrant communities.
Key Facts
- U.S. District Judge Maame Frimpong granted a preliminary injunction blocking the DHS from conducting suspicionless and racially discriminatory immigration stops in Southern California.
- The court order applies to the Central District of California, encompassing Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties.
- The injunction partly certifies a class of individuals affected by the enforcement practices.
- Federal immigration agents are prohibited from relying solely on an individual's apparent status as low-income, working-class, and Latino when developing reasonable suspicion.
- The order carves out an exception allowing stops conducted at a port of entry, checkpoint, or functional equivalent of the border.
- Evidence presented in the case showed federal agents carried out warrantless and discriminatory stops in the region beginning in the summer of 2025.
- Plaintiffs in the lawsuit include local residents, Latino workers, and immigration advocacy groups represented by the ACLU of Southern California.
- The lawsuit alleges that immigration enforcement practices violate both the Fourth Amendment and the Fifth Amendment's guarantee of equal protection.
- The U.S. Supreme Court previously stayed an earlier temporary restraining order that had allowed the challenged practices to continue.
Who's Mentioned
PersonFlor Melendrez“Executive director of CLEAN Carwash Worker Center”OrganizationU.S. Supreme Court“Court that previously stayed a temporary restraining order in the case”locationRiverside“County in Southern California affected by the ruling”OrganizationCLEAN Carwash Worker Center“Plaintiff organization in the case”locationSanta Barbara“County in Southern California affected by the ruling”OrganizationACLU of Southern California“Legal advocacy group representing plaintiffs”PersonMohammad Tajsar“Director of immigrants' rights at the ACLU Foundation of Southern California”locationOrange“County in Southern California affected by the ruling”locationSan Bernardino“County in Southern California affected by the ruling”OrganizationU.S. Department of Homeland Security“Federal department named as defendant in the lawsuit”locationCentral District of California“Federal judicial district covered by the injunction”OrganizationLos Angeles Worker Center Network“Network containing plaintiff organizations”OrganizationTrump administration“Target of the lawsuit regarding immigration enforcement practices”PersonMaame Frimpong“U.S. District Judge who issued the preliminary injunction”locationLos Angeles“County and city in Southern California affected by the ruling”locationVentura“County in Southern California affected by the ruling”locationSan Luis Obispo“County in Southern California affected by the ruling”