California Attorney General Rob Bonta, joined by attorneys general from 16 other states, has filed a second amicus brief in ongoing litigation challenging immigration stops conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Southern California. The legal action targets what the coalition describes as unconstitutional and unlawful stops during recent immigration sweeps.
The case follows earlier court decisions where the District Court for the Central District of California issued a temporary restraining order against ICE and CBP, finding that their actions were likely unlawful. The Ninth Circuit also declined to stay that order. In the latest filing, the attorneys general are asking the court to grant a preliminary injunction to prevent further harm to residents.
“The Trump Administration is conducting immigration stops of California residents based solely off the color of their skin, the language that they speak, or the job that they work in a brazen violation of the Fourth Amendment,” said Attorney General Bonta. “These immigration raids are not about detaining violent criminals – they’re about meeting arbitrary quotas, no matter the cost. It’s not just immoral, it’s unconstitutional. I urge the court to block ICE and CBP from employing these racially-motivated, unscrupulous tactics and allow our communities to return to peace.”
The amicus brief argues that these stops have negatively affected local economies, public health, and other essential aspects of daily life in California. The attorneys general also state that federal agents’ use of masks and efforts to conceal their agency affiliations have made it harder for local law enforcement agencies to do their jobs and have threatened public safety.
Attorney General Bonta referenced historical context by noting that California was targeted in 1954 under “Operation Wetback,” an initiative that resulted in mass arrests and deportations using methods now criticized as discriminatory. President Donald Trump previously cited this operation as a model during his campaign and has since supported aggressive enforcement actions throughout California.
Bonta emphasized his commitment to challenging what he described as overreach by federal authorities. He highlighted previous legal actions taken with Governor Newsom against deploying federalized National Guard troops for civilian law enforcement duties in Los Angeles.
The coalition supporting this amicus brief includes attorneys general from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.
A copy of the amicus brief is available here.
