A new lawsuit filed by migrant advocacy groups accuses the Trump administration, along with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, of indiscriminately targeting people of color during deportation operations, saying Southern California is “under siege.” Los Angeles and surrounding areas have seen an uptick in ICE operations under the Trump administration amid a broader crackdown on illegal immigration.
According to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) press releases, ICE has conducted months of targeted raids across the region, at times detaining hundreds of undocumented migrants.
Lawsuit alleges racial profiling
Now, the administration is facing a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California, Public Counsel, and Immigrant Rights Clinic at the University of California, which alleges that ICE agents are racially profiling Californians as part of their enforcement operations.
The complaint states: “Individuals with brown skin are approached or pulled aside by unidentified federal agents, suddenly and with a show of force, and made to answer questions about who they are and where they are from.”
It further alleges that the operations “look less like lawful arrests and more like brazen, midday kidnappings.”
DHS rejects allegations as ‘smears’
The Department of Homeland Security is pushing back against the lawsuit’s allegations.
“These types of smears are designed to demonize and villainize our brave ICE law enforcement,” DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to The New York Times. “This kind of garbage has led to a more than 700% increase in the assaults on enforcement officers. DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted, and officers do their due diligence.”
Clashes over sanctuary policies add to LA tensions
This lawsuit marks the latest escalation in tensions over immigration enforcement in and around Los Angeles. On Monday, the Trump administration filed a separate lawsuit against the city over its sanctuary city status, arguing that it hinders federal immigration enforcement.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass responded by calling the legal action an “all-out assault against Los Angeles” and said federal agents need to leave the city.
The legal battles playing out in Southern California reflect a broader divide between federal and local leaders over how immigration policy should be handled.
