Trump administration asks Supreme Court to allow ‘roving' immigration raids in Los Angeles

Politico

4 days ago

The Trump administration's emergency request came amid a volley of court rulings against some of the administration's most aggressive deportation measures. A judge in California recently blocked the administration from canceling temporary protected status for 63,000 immigrants, saying it was rooted in racial animus. A judge in Washington, blocked the administration from deploying 'expedited' deportation procedures for immigrants who had previously been paroled into the country. And another judge in Washington recently blocked the administration from a severe crackdown on asylum applications by people who crossed the southern border.
The Trump administration's escalation of the legal fight also took place as fresh questions surfaced about whether the immigration officials are abiding by Frimpong's order. On Wednesday, a local Fox TV affiliate broadcast video from inside a Penske rental truck used to raid a Home Depot parking lot in L.A.'s Westlake neighborhood. The station's video showed immigration officers in camouflage abruptly jumping out of the truck and later depicted an immigration agent leading two Latino men through the lot by their collars.
An attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed the lawsuit that led to Frimpong's order, said the group had been receiving reports since Saturday about raids that could run afoul of the judge's directive.
'While we continue to investigate these incidents, the evidence available so far raises serious concerns that the federal government may be in violation of the federal judge's July temporary restraining order,' lawyer Mohammad Tajsar said in a statement. 'As shown at every step in the case thus far, the government seems unwilling to fulfill the aims of its racist mass deportation agenda without breaking the law.'
So far, the ACLU has not complained to the court about the episodes, but Tajsar said it would do so 'at the appropriate juncture.'
The Penske Corporation also issued a statement Wednesday complaining that its policies were violated during the raid. 'Penske strictly prohibits the transportation of people in the cargo area of its vehicles under any circumstances,' the firm said on X. 'The company was not made aware that its trucks would be used in today's operation and did not authorize this. Penske will reach out to DHS and reinforce its policy to avoid improper use of its vehicles in the future.'