The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that large-scale immigration raids in Los Angeles may continue for now, overturning a federal judge’s order that had restricted agents from making arrests without “reasonable suspicion”, according to BBC.
The decision marks a victory for President Donald Trump, who has pledged to carry out record deportations of undocumented immigrants in the United States.
The 6-3 conservative-majority ruling allows agents to detain individuals based on race, language, or employment, while a separate legal challenge to recent Los Angeles immigration enforcement continues in the courts.
Liberal justices dissented, warning that the decision endangers constitutional freedoms.
Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh, writing for the majority, stated that the lower court’s restrictive order went too far in limiting how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents could conduct stops or question suspected undocumented immigrants.
“To be clear, visible ethnicity alone cannot provide reasonable suspicion,” Kavanaugh wrote.
“However, it may be considered a significant factor when evaluated alongside other important factors.”
