The US 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 Monday ruling is a win for President Donald Trump, who has vowed to conduct record-level deportations of migrants in the country illegally.
The 6-3 decision of the conservative-majority court allows agents to stop suspects based solely on their race, language, or job while a legal challenge to 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 noted that while apparent ethnicity alone cannot furnish reasonable suspicion, it can be a 'relevant factor' when considered with other factors.
This ruling comes amid rising tensions as conservative justice Brett Kavanaugh stated that the lower court's order restricted how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could perform stops. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a member of the dissenting liberal faction, asserted that the ruling subjects countless individuals to unreasonable treatment based on their ethnicity and job.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass condemned the ruling as dangerous and un-American, stressing its threat to personal freedom. The decision overrides a temporary restraining order from US District Judge Maame E. Frimpong, who found significant evidence that the raids violated the US Constitution.
The Supreme Court has determined that the government's actions in these immigration raids are likely constitutional. However, as protests surface against the administration's aggressive tactics, the legal battle continues about the constitutionality of such law enforcement methods.
