The Day After the Death of Jaime Alanís, When California Said Stop – A Court Halts Trump’s Raids

It was the day after the assault. In front of “Glass House Farms” in Camarillo, north of Los Angeles, dozens of workers waited for an answer that had already been given – not by politicians, but by a courtroom. For while busloads of people had been dragged away by armed agents in the days before, a federal court in California had now spoken decisively: The indiscriminate immigration checks based on skin color and origin carried out by the Trump administration are unconstitutional – and halted with immediate effect.

Judge Maame E. Frimpong did not hesitate. In a preliminary injunction, she prohibited the Department of Homeland Security and the White House from conducting further raids without specific suspicion in seven California counties – including Los Angeles and Ventura. The reason: “A mountain of evidence,” Frimpong said, showed that the federal government was guilty of precisely what it consistently denies – targeted arrests based on skin color, accent, and workplace. Unconstitutional under the Fourth and Fifth Amendments – meaning violations of the right to bodily integrity and due process. The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by several affected individuals – including three detained migrants and two U.S. citizens. One of them showed his ID during the stop but was detained anyway. The allegations are serious: raids at flea markets, Home Depot, car washes, and construction sites, where people with Latin American appearance were arbitrarily detained. In one case, according to the ACLU, all workers at a business were arrested – except for two white men. One of the plaintiffs, Brian Gavidia, a U.S.-born citizen, was reportedly “assaulted – solely because he is Latino and worked at a tow yard.”

The Trump administration denied all accusations. Spokesperson Abigail Jackson stated Friday evening, “No federal judge has the authority to dictate immigration policy. That is the role of the President and Congress.” Justice Department attorney Sean Skedzielewski argued in the hearing that agents only considered appearance as part of the “totality of circumstances.” There was no evidence of deliberate racial profiling – according to the official narrative. But the reality on California’s streets tells another story: people pulled from buses, lawyers repelled with tear gas, entire neighborhoods swept by security forces as protests flare up. Particularly explosive: the court order also applies to the notoriously sealed-off detention center “B-18” in downtown Los Angeles. There, according to organizations like Public Counsel and the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, attorneys had been repeatedly denied access since June – even on days without protests. On June 7, lawyers tried to call out basic rights to a bus full of detainees – but officers used horns, tear gas, and sound cannons to drown them out. Inside the facility, there was a lack of beds, food, and phones. Many, according to aid workers, signed deportation papers without ever speaking to a lawyer.

With the new order, that is now over – at least for now. B-18 must be opened daily for legal aid, and confidential legal conversations must be guaranteed. Raids can no longer be conducted solely based on skin color, language, or occupation. A turning point – at least in legal terms. Politically, however, the conflict continues to escalate. The White House called it a “gross overreach of judicial authority.” California’s authorities are no longer silent. Attorneys general from 18 Democratic states are now supporting the ruling with formal court briefs. It is not the first setback for Trump’s immigration apparatus. Back in April, a federal court had already banned arbitrary arrests by border agents across large parts of eastern California. But this most recent ruling marks more than just legal resistance: it is a symbol that there are still places where the Constitution matters more than fear. A country that will not tolerate everything. And judges who remember the oath they swore. On that morning in Camarillo, a woman stood at the gate of the farm. She held a cardboard sign in her hand. It read: “I did everything to stay legal. But apparently, my skin color is enough.” During the raid at the cannabis farm, Jaime Alanís died – a farmworker from Oxnard who collapsed as agents stormed in. The exact circumstances remain unclear, the outrage is great. Since Friday, the law is back on her side. For how long – that is another question.