Supreme Court lifts limits on LA immigration raids

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court has ruled sweeping immigration raids in Los Angeles can continue for now, lifting a federal judge's order that had barred agents from making stops without "reasonable suspicion".

The 6-3 decision of the conservative-majority court allows agents to stops suspects based solely on their race, language or job, while a legal challenge to the recent immigration sweeps in LA works its way through the courts.

The liberal justices dissented, saying the decision puts constitutional freedoms at risk.

Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in Monday's decision that the lower court's restraining order went too far in restricting how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents could carry out stops or questioning of suspected unlawful migrants.

"To be clear, apparent ethnicity alone cannot furnish reasonable suspicion," he wrote. "However, it can be a 'relevant factor' when considered along with other salient factors."

The Supreme Court's three liberal justices issued a strong dissent penned by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who wrote that "countless people in the Los Angeles area have been grabbed, thrown to the ground, and handcuffed simply because of their looks, their accents, and the fact they make a living by doing manual labor".

"Today, the Court needlessly subjects countless more to these exact same indignities," she wrote.

The White House welcomed the ruling, vowing in a statement to "continue fulfilling its mandate to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens".

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom, both Democrats, criticized the decision.

"Today's ruling is not only dangerous - it's un-American and threatens the fabric of personal freedom in the United States of America," Bass said in a statement.

Newsom warned that "Trump's private police force now has a green light to come after your family".

The decision lifts an order by US District Judge Maame E Frimpong in Los Angeles, who had said that there is a "mountain of evidence" showing the raids were violating the US Constitution.

The order halted the raids, with Judge Frimpon saying the Trump administration cannot rely on factors like "apparent race or ethnicity" or "speaking Spanish" alone to stop or question individuals.

The judge also barred immigration enforcement agents from conducting stops based solely on someone's presence "at a particular location" like a bus stop, agricultural site or car wash, or based solely on the type of work an individual does.

The temporary restraining order was issued in a legal challenge by immigration advocacy groups, who argued that immigration officers in Los Angeles were conducting "roving patrols" indiscriminately, and were denying individuals access to lawyers.

Judge Frimpong said this may violate the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution, which prohibits unreasonable government searches and seizures.

The Trump administration began sweeping immigration raids in Los Angeles in June, stopping and arresting people at Home Depot and other workplaces, and were met with immediate protests and civil unrest. (Source: BBC News)