The Los Angeles City Council is seeking to sue the Trump administration in response to a surge in immigration arrests in order to obtain a court order that would forbid federal officials from conducting any unlawful stops or arrests of city dwellers.
In order to prevent their people from being racially profiled or unlawfully detained, seven council members signed a proposal requesting that City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto give immediate legal action first priority in order to defend the civil rights of Angelenos.
Tensions between the federal government and the city’s elected officials over the continued raids—which have taken place in Hollywood, Pacoima, Cypress Park, and numerous other locations—would most likely worsen if a lawsuit were filed.
The proposal’s co-author, Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, said she and her colleagues have heard of locals who were stopped, questioned, and taken into custody by people posing as federal immigration agents but who did not have a government ID or official credential.
Yaroslavsky claimed to have firsthand knowledge of a Latina who was recently approached by a number of males wearing masks when she was strolling down Westwood Boulevard and who insisted on seeing a legitimate ID.
Yaroslavsky, who represents a portion of the Westside, stated that they released her when she presented identification. [But] the 4th Amendment prohibits such. Just because they’re brown doesn’t mean that they’re not citizens.
Yaroslavsky and Councilmember Ysabel Jurado co-authored the proposal, which is currently being reviewed by three council committees.
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Protesters and government officials fiercely opposed unexpected sweeps by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in downtown Los Angeles.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel behave with the highest integrity and professionalism, according to a statement released by White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson in response to a question concerning the city’s efforts. She also criticized The Times for publishing their statements and disputed the claims made by Yaroslavsky and her council members.
According to Jackson, attacks on ICE officers have multiplied by 500% as a result of the Democrat lawmakers’ insane, radical language, which the LA Times seems content to promote. Instead of merely repeating Democratic propaganda, the LA Times ought to perform some actual reporting.
The city’s legal action preparations are the most recent in a string of conflicts between the city of Los Angeles and the Trump administration.
Vice President JD Vance attacked Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass during a Friday visit in Los Angeles, saying that their opposition to the immigration raids puts federal law enforcement officers’ lives in jeopardy.
Vance described what transpired here as a tragedy. The governor and the mayor encouraged rioters, which made it more difficult for those who were simply obeying the law to carry out their duties.
Hours later, Bassshot returned, accusing Vance of spreading false information and complete rubbish while trying to defend the squandering of public funds by sending the U.S. Marines and National Guard to Southern California. According to her, there is panic and horror in L.A. communities, but it’s the kind brought on by individuals wearing masks and brandishing weapons who are dragging people off the street.
They won’t provide identification. According to her, they are operating standard vehicles with tinted windows and, occasionally, license plates from other states. Are they bounty hunters? Who are these people? Are they vigilantes? Why don’t they identify themselves if they are government officials?
The city’s plan to file a lawsuit would merely be the most recent instance of Californian politicians opposing the Trump administration.
Newsom and the federal government are embroiled in a legal dispute over the National Guard’s deployment in Los Angeles. More than a dozen more federal cases involving tariffs, federal employee layoffs, LGBTQ+ rights, and other issues have been brought by Attorney General Rob Bonta.
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At least 14 people have been charged by federal authorities in connection with the recent immigration rallies that have rocked Los Angeles. Some risk severe prison sentences for small altercations with immigration officials, while others are charged with very serious crimes.
The council agreed 9-1 on Friday to give Feldstein Sotoup up to $250,000 so that he can hire an outside legal team to react to any federal actions during the next month while the council is on summer break.
Yaroslavsky stated that her plan, which could be voted on by the entire council by the end of next week, is unrelated to council action.
According to Yaroslavsky, the city’s prospective legal action might be based on a federal case that United Farm Workers filed earlier this year in the Central Valley of the state.
Regardless of their true immigration status or unique circumstances, United Farm Workers claimed that border patrol officials stopped, detained, and arrested dozens of persons of color who looked to be day laborers or farm workers.
According to the lawsuit, Operation Return to Sender terrified the community and split families apart. It was against the law, too. According to the Fourth Amendment, Border Patrol officers are not allowed to hold someone, whether they are on foot or in a private car, unless they have a good reason to believe that the person is in the country illegally.
Federal agents were ordered by a federal judge in April to stop making unauthorized stops and making arrests without a warrant in the Central Valley.
U.S. Dist. Judge Jennifer Thurston said in an 88-page ruling that the evidence so far provided by the American Civil Liberties Union, whose attorneys represent the farm workers, demonstrated that Border Patrol agents had a pattern and practice of making warrantless arrests without considering flight risk and detaining individuals without reasonable suspicion.
According to Thurston, the Court is presented with evidence that Border Patrol personnel acting under DHS jurisdiction committed actions that infringed upon established constitutional rights.
The plaintiff’s complaints, according to federal attorneys, were isolated incidents and did not represent systemic activity. They further contended that the case, which was brought as a class action lawsuit against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and U.S. Border Patrol personnel, is outside the court’s jurisdiction.
According to Yaroslavsky, she wants the city to apply for the same kind of order that Thurston gave the Central Valley. She stated that the city must assist those who might be too afraid of federal law enforcement reprisals to submit a challenge directly.
“They’re scared even if they’re here legally,” she remarked. due to the Trump administration’s demonstrated willingness to detain and deport those who are in the country lawfully. Therefore, if there was ever a situation in which local government should act on behalf of our citizens, now is the moment.