Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 18 attorneys general, today submitted an amicus brief in support of plaintiffs in Vasquez Perdomo et al. v Noem et al., seeking a temporary restraining order to enjoin the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from engaging in unconstitutional and unlawful detentions of Los Angeles residents during immigration sweeps.
The lawsuit comes amid the Trump administration conducting aggressive, militaristic immigration raids in Los Angeles that have terrified immigrant and non-immigrant residents alike, chilled community members’ participation in civic society and impeded law enforcement and public safety.
“The Trump administration’s heavy-handed immigration enforcement tactics do nothing but instill fear and distrust in immigrant communities,” Raoul said. “I will continue to stand with my fellow attorneys general to fight against the kind of illegal and immoral actions we have seen and in support of the rights of all immigrants.”
Raoul and the coalition highlight in their amicus brief how masked immigration agents are conducting unannounced enforcement actions throughout the community and, in all too many instances, stopping residents without so much as a reasonable suspicion of unlawful conduct, leaving people afraid to leave their homes. The dragnet has resulted in U.S. citizens being wrongfully detained and has created a culture of fear and empty streets.
In their motion for temporary restraining order, plaintiffs allege that ICE and CBP have a policy and practice of engaging in unconstitutional stops that are not based on a reasonable, individualized suspicion of unlawful presence, but are instead based on racial profiling.
In their amicus brief – which is subject to court approval – Raoul and the attorneys general support the plaintiffs, arguing that preliminary injunctive relief is in the public interest because CBP and ICE engaging in unlawful detentions of Californians without a reasonable suspicion of unlawful activity has harmed local economies, public health and several other core facets of daily life. They also argue that federal law enforcement’s tactics in conducting these stops, which include wearing masks and concealing the law enforcement entity they work for, have impeded local law enforcement and threatened public safety.
Joining Raoul in filing the brief are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.
