US Supreme Court Sides With Trump, Allowing Immigration Raids in California Amid Backlash
Story: written by Okafor Joseph September 9,2025
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday delivered a major win to President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda, granting federal agents the green light to resume aggressive raids in Southern California.
In a brief, unsigned order, the justices lifted restrictions imposed by a lower court judge that had barred officers from detaining people based on factors such as race, ethnicity, or speaking English with an accent. The ruling allows raids to continue while a class-action lawsuit brought by Latino plaintiffs proceeds in federal court.
California Governor Gavin Newsom blasted the decision, calling it “a parade of racial terror” and accusing Trump’s conservative-appointed majority on the Court of enabling discriminatory enforcement.
Civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, say the raids disproportionately target Latinos — including U.S. citizens — who are stopped, questioned, and sometimes detained simply for their appearance or language. “This decision is a devastating setback for our communities,” said ACLU attorney Mohammad Tajsar.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the Court’s first Latina member, issued a sharp dissent joined by two liberal colleagues, warning that the ruling effectively declares “all Latinos fair game to be seized at any time.”
The Trump administration hailed the ruling as a “massive victory,” with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi saying it would allow immigration officers to continue “roving patrols” without what she called “judicial micromanagement.”
Trump, who returned to office in January, has vowed to escalate deportations nationwide. His policies have already triggered large-scale protests in Los Angeles, where armed raids and the deployment of military troops in June drew widespread condemnation.
While conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote separately that ethnicity alone cannot justify a stop, he argued it may be a “relevant factor” when combined with other observations. Critics say that standard leaves wide room for abuse.
The ruling adds to a string of Supreme Court decisions backing Trump’s immigration policies, including fast-tracking deportations and curbing humanitarian protections for migrants. For many immigrant families and advocates, it signals an intensifying crackdown that blurs the line between enforcement and racial profiling.
