LOS ANGELES — Elected officials throughout Los Angeles County are planning to join a proposed class-action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union against the federal government on behalf of people who allege they were unlawfully stopped or detained by federal agents.
The lawsuit alleges that federal agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, have engaged in unconstitutional and unlawful immigration enforcement raids by targeting Angelenos based on their perceived race and ethnicity and also denying detainees constitutionally mandated due process.
During a July 8 news conference in downtown Los Angeles, City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto, Mayor Karen Bass and other regional mayors said they plan to assert their rights under the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which enshrines the principle of federalism, where the federal government and individuals states share power, by mutual agreement.
“The federal government has concentrated thousands of armed immigration agents, many of whom lack visible identification, and military troops in our communities, conducting unconstitutional raids, roundups and anonymous detentions, sowing fear and chaos among our residents,” Feldstein Soto said. “Today’s motion to intervene shows we will not stand by and allow these raids to continue or to become the standard operating procedure in our communities.”
Bass reiterated her contention that the Trump administration is treating Los Angeles as a test case.
“The city of Los Angeles, along with the county, cities, organizations and Angelenos across L.A., is taking the administration to court to stop its clear violation of the United States Constitution and federal law,” Bass said. “We will not be intimidated — we are making Los Angeles the example of how people who believe in American values will stand together and stand united.”
The announcement came a day after local leaders condemned federal immigration activity at MacArthur Park, where more than 100 agents amassed before leaving without making any arrests.
Speaking July 9 on Fox News, U.S. Border czar Tom Homan said federal agents targeted the park because it is a hotbed of human-trafficking activity, and a place people go if they’re looking to obtain fake Green Cards or Social Security numbers. Homan said no arrests resulted from the operation, because plans of the raid were “leaked” in advance.
Meanwhile, the White House issued a statement defending federal immigration activity.
“The brave men and women of ICE are under siege by deranged Democrats — but undeterred in their mission,” the White House said in a statement. “Every day, these heroes put their own lives on the line to get the worst of the worst — criminal illegal immigrant killers, rapists, gangbangers, and other violent criminals — off our streets and out of our neighborhoods.”
L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis announced that the county also joined the city’s efforts to address allegedly warrantless arrests and seizures caused by ICE raids, authorized by the Department of Homeland Security.
“Today, as a result of that motion, the county of Los Angeles is joining the city of Los Angeles to intervene in a federal class action lawsuit against the Trump administration,” Solis said in a statement. “For the past month, we’ve seen individuals picked up at car washes and Home Depot parking lots, then simply disappear without warrants, probable cause or due process.”
On social media, the Department of Homeland Security denied those allegations.
“Claims that individuals have been ‘targeted’ by law enforcement because of their skin color are disgusting and categorically false,” the department said in a statement. “DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted, and officers do their due diligence.”
“ICE detention facilities have higher standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens,” the department previously stated. “These types of smears are designed to demonize and villainize our brave ICE law enforcement. This garbage has directly led to a nearly 700% increase in the assaults on ICE law enforcement officers.”
Montebello Mayor Salvador Melendez, Monterey Park Mayor Vinh Ngo, Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, West Hollywood Mayor Chelsea Byers and Culver City Vice Mayor Freddy Puza attended the July 9 news conference announcing the legal action. Each mayor showed their support for the city and county’s legal actions, and also criticized the Trump administration’s immigration tactics.
“This federal overreach is damaging our community, fracturing immigrant families and friends,” said Culver City Mayor Dan O’Brien in a statement. “Thank you to Mayor Bass and the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office for filing this action. I’m grateful Culver City, along with other Westside cities, can join with you all to take this stand.”
While O’Brien could not attend the press conference due to scheduling conflicts, Vice Mayor Freddy Puza was in attendance and made remarks on the announced legal action.
“Culver City is proud to stand with the city of Los Angeles and a coalition of cities across the region in taking legal action against the Trump administration’s unlawful and inhumane ICE raids,” Puza said. “These raids are terrorizing communities, separating families and violating basic civil and human rights. “They are not about safety, they are about fear,” he added. “And we refuse to let that fear define who we are.
“As a smaller city, some might wonder what difference Culver City can make,” Puza continued. “But our participation matters, because every city, large or small, has a responsibility to defend the people who live and work within its borders. And when cities of all sizes join together, we become impossible to ignore.”
In an interview with City News Service, Bass said the federal immigration activity is creating a sense of “fear and terror,” and accused U.S. immigration officials of going after those with legal status.
“The Trump administration does have problems with people here with legal status,” Bass said. “Otherwise they wouldn’t be detaining people when they show up for their annual immigration appointment.
“They are here legally now. They’re talking about canceling temporary status for people who are from countries that are in conflict.”
