On September 8, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an order allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to resume immigration stops in the Los Angeles area using factors such as race, Spanish language use, and employment in certain industries as part of their justification.

Statement from Amada Armenta, LPPI’s faculty director:

“This week, the Supreme Court lifted a lower court’s temporary restraining order, which barred certain ICE tactics in and around Los Angeles because they were found likely unlawful. In doing so, SCOTUS clears the way for ICE to consider race, employment, and speaking Spanish as grounds for immigration enforcement.

This is unacceptable and fundamentally un-American. The federal government’s authority to enforce immigration laws does not override our constitutional rights. The Fourth Amendment protects everyone from unreasonable searches and seizures, and the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees equal protection under the law, regardless of appearance, occupation, origin, or language.

These rights are not conditional. They are not reserved for a few. They are the foundation of our democracy.

As one of the 65 million Latinos living in the United States, I am alarmed that the Court’s majority has chosen to side with an administration more focused on targeting and detaining communities like my friends, family, and neighbors than on upholding the freedoms that protect us all. We deserve to live and work in peace, safely and without fear, in the country we call home.”