ACLU announces lawsuit against DHS over 'unlawful' immigration raids

LOS ANGELES - The ACLU of Southern California on Wednesday announced a landmark lawsuit against the federal government over "unlawful, immoral and unconstitutional" immigration raids across Southern California. 

The lawsuit, filed in the Central District of California, covers Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties. 

What we know:

A coalition of Southern California residents, workers, and advocacy groups has filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), alleging unlawful stop and arrest practices, as well as illegal confinement conditions and denial of attorney access. 

The plaintiffs claim that DHS is unconstitutionally detaining individuals to meet arbitrary arrest quotas, primarily targeting "brown communities" and essential workers.

SUGGESTED: Trump-led ICE raids raise questions on what LAPD can or can't do

The lawsuit was filed by five individual workers, three membership organizations (The Los Angeles Worker Center Network, United Farm Workers (UFW), the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)), and a legal services provider (Immigrant Defenders Law Center). 

They allege that DHS has engaged in unconstitutional arrests and detentions since June 6 to meet arrest quotas. The suit specifically claims that stops and interrogations have been based on apparent race and ethnicity, creating an "immigration dragnet" in Los Angeles and surrounding counties.

Individuals are reportedly being taken to a federal building basement in downtown Los Angeles, referred to as "B-18," which lacks proper facilities like beds, showers, or medical care. This facility was intended for temporary processing of a small number of people. Over 100 families have reported loved ones held in overcrowded, cold, windowless rooms, deprived of food, water, clean clothing, and access to counsel.

SUGGESTED: California husband says he'll continue to support MAGA movement after wife taken into federal custody

The ongoing raids have led to the "disappearance of more than 1,500 people." Federal agents are accused of refusing to identify themselves or their agency. Instances of Border Patrol agents chasing farmworkers in Ventura County have also been reported, with the spouse of a UFW member among those detained.

What they're saying:

Mohammad Tajsar, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, stated, "Since June 6th, marauding, masked goons have descended upon Los Angeles, terrorizing our brown communities and tearing up the Constitution in the process. No matter their status or the color of their skin, everyone is guaranteed Constitutional rights to protect them from illegal stops. We will hold DHS accountable."

Armando Gudino, executive director of the Los Angeles Worker Center Network, commented, "These raids have targeted the most vulnerable members of our workforce, essential workers who are the backbone of our local economy. We cannot allow racial profiling, warrantless arrests, and denial of due process to become the standard operating procedure in our communities."

SUGGESTED: Mom of 3 'abducted' at gunpoint by 'bounty hunters' in South LA, family says

Mark Rosenbaum, senior special counsel for strategic litigation at Public Counsel, said, "Members of the Southern California community have been whisked away and disappeared into a grossly overcrowded dungeon-like facility lacking food, medical care, basic hygiene, and beds. The objective of this draconian crackdown is to eviscerate basic rights to due process and to shield from public view the horrifying ways ICE and Border Patrol agents treat citizens and residents who have been stigmatized by our government as violent criminals based on skin color alone. This lawsuit is in part about putting an end to that big lie."

Angelica Salas, executive director at CHIRLA, noted, "We have heard from over 100 families of Individuals taken to B-18 and other detention centers that attest to their loved ones being kept in overcrowded, cold, and inhumane conditions. They are held in small windowless rooms with dozens or more other detainees, in extremely cramped quarters while being verbally humiliated and pressured into signing papers they don’t understand."

UFW President Teresa Romero highlighted the impact on farmworkers: "The raids in the greater Los Angeles area have not been limited to the urban center; we have also seen horrific instances of Border Patrol agents chasing down farm workers in the fields of Ventura County. The spouse of a UFW member was among those unjustly detained. Now the very workers who feed America go to work in fear. Their American-born children are scared not knowing if their parents will come home. Farm workers deserve better. We’ve seen these unconstitutional and unamerican tactics before, with Border Patrol targeting random farm workers and anyone with brown skin in Kern County during their large sweep in January. We sued then and we are suing now."

SUGGESTED: 4th of July celebrations across Southern California canceled over immigration raids

Alvaro M. Huerta, director of litigation & advocacy at Immigrant Defenders Law Center, added, "The federal government is waging a campaign of terror across Southern California, abducting community members off the streets and warehousing them in deplorable conditions away from their loved ones, all while denying them access to legal counsel. It’s blatantly unconstitutional, cruelly inhumane, and a violation of any common decency. If the Trump administration insists on trampling Angelenos’ rights, we’ll see them in court."

The other side:

In a statement to FOX 11 on Wednesday, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin denied all the claims in the lawsuit, saying that "any claims that individuals have been ‘targeted’ by law enforcement because of their skin color are disgusting and categorically false," adding that the lawsuit's claims were "garbage."

She also denied the claims about poor conditions at ICE facilities.

"Any claim that there are subprime conditions at ICE detention centers are false," McLaughlin said. "In fact, ICE has higher detention standards than most US prisons that hold actual US citizens. All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with lawyers and their family members."

What's next:

The plaintiffs are requesting the court to certify the case as a class action and issue preliminary and permanent injunctions to stop further alleged violations of Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights. The lawsuit aims to hold DHS accountable for its actions.

Immigration