Federal agents are allowed to detain people suspected of being in the country illegally based on little more than race and ethnicity, language, location and occupation, according to a Monday Supreme Court ruling.
In the wake of the ruling, USC students expressed apprehension about what the decision might mean for the Latine community on campus and throughout Los Angeles.
“I don’t think it’s fair for the Latino community to be treated in a way that’s harmful, and [this ruling] would harm their future, especially for their kids, future generations,” Sara Prado, a second-year Mexican-American graduate student in education, said. “We deserve a chance to be educated in this country that has so many opportunities for us, no matter where you come from, what your background is, what ethnicity you are — everybody’s welcomed here.”
The ruling allows federal agents to detain people based on factors such as appearance, language spoken or their presence in locations often frequented by manual labor workers such as car washes. In April, ICE detained manual laborers at a Home Depot in Pomona with nationwide roundups continuing since, according to the agency’s X account.
During the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s second term, the agency said it had arrested 66,463 people and removed 65,682 people.
Laura Serna, a professor of history and media and cinema studies at USC Cinematic Arts, said that the impact of the ruling on USC, with its main campus location in a working-class neighborhood with primarily Latine migrant communities, was unclear.
“Many of the support staff are Latino and potentially could be racially profiled, and clearly, there are students whose families are affected, who are from L.A. or from Southern California, and have to deal with the repercussions of these raids and sweeps,” said Serna. “As a historian, there is a long history of the racial profiling of migrants, specifically in this country, that extends back into the beginning of the last century.”
About 47% of LA’s population is comprised of Hispanic or Latino-identifying residents. Of the city’s foreign-born population, 49.2% are undocumented, according to Census data.
The Immigrant Legal Assistant Center, which provides legal assistance to students, faculty and Trojan family members who require legal assistance in relation to immigration laws, is run by the USC Gould Immigration Clinic. Jean Reisz, the clinic’s co-director and professor of law at USC Gould, said the clinic will continue “to do what we’ve always been doing.”
“One of the things we’ve kind of focused on is just trying to help people get out of detention, who have been swept up in these arrests, and reunite them with their families,” Reisz said. “That doesn’t mean that they won’t be deported or that they’re not going to be in immigration proceedings, but if they’re being detained in violation of the law, we’re looking at those kinds of cases.”
However, Los Angeles is not the only community impacted by the ruling. On the same day the court’s order came down, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Operation Midway Blitz, which will “target criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois.”
Victoria Laursen, a third-year journalism student and member of the Latine community, said she was “disgusted” by the ruling.
“This is such a loss for the community, and I feel like we’re just going back to the worst era that the U.S. ever went through. I’m terrified for this community,” Laursen said. “I drive by South Central every day, and I see so many street vendors … they are one of the easiest targets, and those are by far the most hard-working people I’ve ever seen.”
Despite not identifying as Latine herself, Victoria Aguirre, a senior studying electrical engineering, spoke of her concern about the effects this ruling may have on Los Angeles.
“A lot of these people are very important in our communities, and they contribute a lot,” Aguirre said. “People can’t really go outside anymore without the fear of being detained.”
Initially, Los Angeles Federal District judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong ruled that basing stops on factors such as race, place or language spoken would “likely” violate the Fourth Amendment. The amendment establishes the necessity for reasonable suspicion and probable cause and guarantees security from unlawful search.
In his concurring opinion defending the ruling, Justice Brett Kavanaugh said immigration stops based on a “reasonable suspicion” have been an “important component” of immigration enforcement actions in the U.S.
“To be clear, apparent ethnicity alone cannot furnish reasonable suspicion; under this court’s case law regarding immigration stops, however, it can be a ‘relevant factor’ when considered along with other salient factors,” Kavanaugh wrote.
Reisz, however, said she believes that the context in which the raids have and continue to happen is not the context in which Kavanaugh is framing them.
“I think that Justice Kavanaugh was saying things that would be constitutionally permitted, or describing situations that would be constitutionally permitted, and then just kind of manipulating some of the facts here to reach a result that would support what the government did and put it in line with the Constitution,” said Reisz. “But I think the evidence shows that what Justice Kavanaugh was talking about, and the reason that [he] said stops could continue is not actually what was happening on the ground.”
Following the ruling, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass released a statement condemning the action.
“Today, the highest court in the country ruled that the White House and masked federal agents can racially profile Angelenos with no due process, snatch them off the street with no evidence or warrant, and take them away with no explanation,” Bass said. “This decision will lead to more working families being torn apart and fear of the very institutions meant to protect – not persecute – our people.”
Despite concerns about the impact of the ruling, Aguirre said she hopes the city’s diversity will be its strength.
“Because [LA] is so diverse, it affects us a lot more than other communities where there might not be as many people that are being targeted,” Aguirre said. “I think it’s just a time where our community needs to come together and kind of be strong and support each other.”
Reisz advised that the number one thing people can do to protect themselves is “exercise their right not to speak to law enforcement,” and have a plan in place.
“There’s rapid response networks throughout Southern California who can connect people with attorneys so maybe have that phone number to call,” said Reisz. “Part of what happens in these situations that are really traumatic is people panic. [...]
“They may be eligible for some sort of status based on their family members or based on their situation in their home country,” she continued. “But, if they kind of panic and run or lie or give up their rights, then that’ll make that opportunity go away or make it a lot harder for them to be able to defend themselves in court.”