Supreme Court Upholds ICE Raids in California, Sparks Alarm Over “Racial Profiling”

• Supreme Court Upholds ICE Raids
• Newsom Denounces “Racial Terror”
• ICE Expands National Operations

According to EFE, the U.S. Supreme Court reactivated immigration raids in California on Monday.

The decision, approved by a 5–4 vote, authorizes ICE operations based on criteria such as race, language, or type of employment.

The ruling responded to a request from President Donald Trump amid his offensive against undocumented migration.

The measure provoked alarm among local authorities, judges, and civil organizations, who warn of an increase in racial profiling.

Sotomayor’s Dissent and Local Warnings

The Supreme Court of the United States’ green light to reactivate raids justified by race, language, or work in California reignited fears of “racial profiling.» https://t.co/8HcZuIkmyx

— Joaquín López-Dóriga (@lopezdoriga) September 9, 2025

In her dissenting vote, Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a strong warning.

“We should not live in a country where the government can detain anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and works in a low-paying job,” she said.

The decision overturns a suspension issued in July by federal judge Maame E. Frimpong.

That order had deemed it unconstitutional to detain people solely because of their race, language, or occupation.

Supreme Court, ICE Raids in California, and Mass Protests

Between June and early July, 2,792 arrests were carried out in California under this scheme.

After the judicial suspension, the numbers dropped to fewer than 1,400 arrests in the following weeks.

The initial operations had already sparked massive protests in Los Angeles.

Demonstrators clashed with local police in opposition to ICE’s presence in Latino neighborhoods.

National Guard Deployed by Trump

Trump responded with the deployment of 2,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines.

During that period, the government tallied nearly 2,800 arrests in the state.

Since then, the Department of Homeland Security has reported that arrests in Los Angeles alone have exceeded 5,000.

The government uses that figure as justification to maintain the continuation of federal operations.

Supreme Court Raids in California and Political Rejection

California Governor Gavin Newsom harshly criticized the Supreme Court ruling.

He called it “a threat to Latino communities and innocent families.”

According to Newsom, the Court has become “the grand marshal of a parade of racial terror.”

The state leader recalled his previous clashes with Trump over the militarization of the streets.

Reactions from Mayors and Civil Organizations

In June, he had already accused the president of cracking down on vulnerable migrants.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also raised her voice against the judicial decision.

“This ruling opens the door to open discrimination in our communities,” she said.

Bass promised that the city “will not be complicit in policies that target people for the color of their skin or the language they speak.”

Supreme Court, ICE Raids in California, and Civil Criticism

Civil organizations such as the ACLU and Human Rights Watch joined the criticism.

They warned that the decision “normalizes racial profiling” and endangers millions of immigrants and U.S. citizens of Latino origin.

They also cautioned that the raids erode trust in institutions.

For activists, the operations create a climate of fear in the most vulnerable neighborhoods.

Expansion of ICE Operations to Other Cities

The impact of the decision is already spreading to other cities outside California.

The Trump administration extended the raids to Chicago and Boston this same week.

ICE agents carried out mass raids in majority-Latino neighborhoods in both cities.

The actions sparked new protests and accusations of racial discrimination.

Supreme Court, Raids in California and Trump’s Celebration

Trump himself celebrated the start of the expansion of raids on his social network Truth.

“I love the smell of deportations in the morning,” he wrote on September 6.

The message generated a wave of criticism from civil organizations and Democratic leaders.

They accused the president of normalizing the persecution of communities based on their ethnic origin or language.

California as Historic Immigration Epicenter

California remains the historic epicenter of the immigration dispute in the United States.

In 2019, ICE reported more than 18,000 arrests in that state, many of them with no criminal record.

Los Angeles has consistently been the district with the most migrant arrests.

Various judicial rulings had limited operations during Trump’s first administration.