LOS ANGELES – Mayor Bass issued the following statement after a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order to put a stop to the unconstitutional reckless raids:
“Today, the Court ruled in favor of the United States Constitution, of American values and decency — this is an important step toward restoring safety, security and defending the rights of all Angelenos. Los Angeles has been under assault by the Trump Administration as masked men grab people off the street, chase working people through parking lots and march through children’s summer camps. We went to court against the administration because we will never accept these outrageous and un-American acts as normal.”
The temporary restraining order stops DHS Secretary Noem, ICE Director Lyons, and LA Field Office Director Santacruz from allowing their agents to profile Angelenos by stopping or detaining them based on race or ethnicity, using Spanish or speaking English with an accent, being present at locations like bus stops, car washes, tow yards, day laborer sites, and agricultural sites, or because of the type of work they do. In addition, the court ordered that people detained at the downtown Federal Building are entitled to legal visitation for a minimum number of hours every day and are entitled to have free unrecorded phone calls with their attorneys.
Earlier this week, Mayor Bass and City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto announced that the City of Los Angeles joined the class action lawsuit “Perdomo v. Noem,” which was brought on behalf of people who have been unlawfully stopped or detained by federal agents. The lawsuit alleges that federal agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection have engaged in unconstitutional and unlawful immigration raids by targeting Angelenos based on their perceived race and ethnicity and also denying detainees constitutionally-mandated due process.