Los Angeles: In a major blow to the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement drive, a federal judge on Friday issued emergency orders halting indiscriminate immigration stops and arrests in seven Southern California counties, including Los Angeles and Ventura.

The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by immigrant rights groups and several individuals — including detained Latino workers and U.S. citizens — who alleged that immigration agents targeted them solely based on race, language, or occupation.

Judge Maame E Frimpong, in her ruling, cited a “mountain of evidence” that agents under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) violated Fourth and Fifth Amendment protections by conducting warrantless arrests, detaining people based on racial appearance, and blocking access to legal counsel.

The case presented troubling incidents, including the detention of a U.S. citizen despite showing ID, and a raid in Ventura County where dozens of farm workers were detained during a court hearing. One car wash worker testified that everyone except two white employees was detained during a raid.

The judge also ordered DHS to immediately restore full legal access at the Los Angeles immigration detention centre known as “B-18,” where lawyers and advocates had been repeatedly blocked. Attorneys described conditions inside the facility as coercive, alleging detainees were pressured to waive legal rights under duress, without access to phones, beds, or basic legal information.

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of DHS, denied any targeting based on race, calling such claims “categorically FALSE.” The department insisted that operations were based on prior surveillance and “individualised packages.”

However, the ACLU and other rights groups argued that apparent race, language accents, and mere presence at places like tow yards and Home Depot parking lots had become justification enough for arrest — a tactic now barred under Friday’s court order.

The order will also require immigration officials to allow attorney visits at B-18 seven days a week and guarantee confidential phone calls for detainees.

Lawyers from 18 Democratic-led states have backed the case, filing briefs in support of the injunction.

While the ruling is a temporary measure pending full trial, it marks a strong judicial check on federal immigration practices, which have led to widespread fear across Latino communities in California.

Meanwhile, US Customs and Border Protection agents remain barred from conducting warrantless arrests in other parts of California due to a separate injunction issued in April.
(With AFP inputs)