Los Angeles And Southern California Cities Join Lawsuit Against Federal Immigration Raids

 

Los Angeles city and county officials, along with several neighboring Southern California municipalities, are seeking to join a lawsuit challenging recent federal immigration raids ordered by the Trump administration. The legal action, originally filed by the ACLU of Southern California on behalf of individuals and immigration advocacy groups, accuses the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of carrying out unconstitutional arrests and detentions to meet politically motivated quotas.

The lawsuit alleges that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), under direction from the Trump administration, has engaged in racially targeted operations that violate due process protections guaranteed by the Constitution.

“No matter their status or the color of their skin, everyone is guaranteed Constitutional rights to protect them from illegal stops,” said Mohammad Tajsar, senior staff attorney at the ACLU. “We will hold DHS accountable.”

At a news conference Tuesday, Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto announced the city’s formal participation in the lawsuit. She said the effort aims to challenge “unlawful immigration enforcement activities,” which include targeting individuals in the Los Angeles area based on race or ethnicity and denying basic legal rights to detainees.

“We not only support our residents in stopping these unconstitutional practices,” Feldstein Soto stated, “but assert our own rights under the 10th Amendment as jurisdictions with local control over police powers.”

Feldstein Soto called the raids “unconstitutional roundups” that must not be normalized, and emphasized that such actions infringe on community safety and civil liberties.

The lawsuit follows President Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles last month in response to widespread protests over the immigration raids. The president claimed local officials had lost control, a charge sharply rejected by both Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Bass condemned the raids, which began on June 6, describing how agents in unmarked vehicles and masks are detaining people in public without explanation. “Aside from the fact that this is unconstitutional,” she said, “how do we know the difference between this and a kidnapping?”

The cities of Pasadena, Santa Monica, Culver City, Pico Rivera, Montebello, Monterey Park, and West Hollywood are also seeking to join the legal challenge.

The protests in Los Angeles have sparked nationwide demonstrations under the banner “No Kings,” opposing what critics call authoritarian overreach by the federal government.

DHS has denied any misconduct. “Any claims that individuals have been ‘targeted’ by law enforcement because of their skin color are disgusting and categorically false,” said DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin. “DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted, and officers do their due diligence.”

The administration has doubled down on enforcement, calling for expanded deportations in Democratic cities and portraying mass immigration raids as central to its national security strategy. Earlier this year, the federal government also filed a separate lawsuit against Los Angeles over its sanctuary city policies, alleging obstruction of federal immigration law.

Local business leaders say the raids are already having economic fallout. Anthony Rodriguez, CEO of the LA Fashion District Business Improvement District, said visitor numbers are down 45%, resulting in severe losses. “The sense of fear is overwhelming,” he said.

Despite the pressure, city officials remain resolute. “We are a city of immigrants,” said Mayor Bass. “And we will stand united with Angelenos—no matter where they came from, when they arrived, or why they’re here.”