Detentions made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) based only on apparent race, language spoken, location or occupation have been temporarily halted in Los Angeles and its surrounding counties, including Orange County, after a federal judge granted two temporary restraining orders against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on July 11.
The first of the temporary restraining orders, granted by U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, blocks ICE agents from “stopping individuals without reasonable suspicion,” if based upon four factors outlined in the order against the DHS.
The four factors include “apparent race or ethnicity; speaking Spanish or English with an accent; presence in a particular location like a bus stop, car wash, or agricultural site; or the work the person does,” according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Frimpong’s granting of the order comes one week after the ACLU of Southern California initially presented a case against the Trump administration, alleging that the DHS used practices that were in direct violation of constitutional protections, such as detaining individuals without reasonable suspicion or withholding the right to legal counsel.
On Tuesday, Santa Ana became the first Orange County city to join the lawsuit alongside several other cities and California Attorney General Rob Bonta, stating that ICE raids have been unconstitutionally and violently targeting cities with large immigrant populations, regardless of legal status.
Weeks of ICE activity in southern California — particularly Los Angeles and Orange County — brought fear and unrest to immigrant communities and their loved ones, sparking protests across the region.
The order — which, in essence, prevents immigration agents from conducting stops and detaining individuals based on their appearance and perceived race alone — applies to the seven counties under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Central District of California.
UC Irvine law professor Annie Lai, who is also director of the university’s Immigrant and Racial Justice Solidarity Clinic, commented on the ACLU’s win and what it could mean for the future of immigrant rights in the country.
“Today’s ruling has been made possible by everyday people standing up for the idea that the Constitution is still the law of the land, and applies to all of us,” Lai said in an ACLU statement.
The Immigrant and Racial Justice Solidarity Clinic is part of UC Irvine Law’s experiential learning program, which aims to give law students practical experience that is beneficial to them and the greater Irvine community, according to the clinic’s overview page.
Students in the clinic, with close faculty guidance, work to directly represent immigrants and protect their civil and constitutional liberties, as well as support local grassroots organizations that provide further assistance to immigrants.
“Our communities are strong not in spite of their diversity but because of it. While this is only one step in what will undoubtedly be a long fight, it is an important one,” Lai said in the statement.
Frimpong ruled that the DHS failed to provide sufficient evidence on their actual detainment methods, leading the court to conclude that DHS and ICE agents have been enforcing new immigration policies unconstitutionally.
According to the second temporary restraining order filed by the ACLU — which mandates that all detainees must be given the opportunity to contact legal counsel — ICE agents had prohibited individuals from contacting attorneys or other legal representation on multiple occasions.
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin criticized the ruling, accusing the judge of going against the wishes of American citizens.
“A district judge is undermining the will of the American people,” McLaughlin said in a press statement released to several news agencies such as NPR.
In a statement on X, California Governor Gavin Newsom gave his support for the ruling, continuing a trend of pushback from Newsom against federal immigration enforcement and activity in recent weeks.
“California stands with the law and the Constitution — and I call on the Trump Administration to do the same,” the post reads.
Cain Carbajal is a Features Intern for the summer 2025 quarter. He can be reached at cainac@uci.edu.
Edited by Peyton Arthur and Joshua Gonzales