Today’s Supreme Court decision allowing ICE agents to resume racial profiling in Los Angeles undermines fundamental constitutional protections. The 6-3 ruling permits federal agents to stop individuals based on “apparent race or ethnicity,” speaking Spanish or accented English, location, and occupation - factors that disproportionately impact Latino communities.
This decision weakens Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. The lower court found that reasonable suspicion cannot rest on these discriminatory factors, yet the majority has endorsed practices that raise serious constitutional concerns.
Justice Sotomayor's dissent warns this creates a system where “the Government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low wage job.” The Court’s failure to provide substantive legal reasoning compounds these concerns. This ruling appears to legitimize “targeting individuals based on their race, language, or neighborhood,” raising important questions about equal protection under law that merit further legal and legislative review.
The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office stands united with our communities and will continue to seek legal remedies that protect our residents, uphold our values and defend the constitution of the United States.
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Hydee Feldstein Soto is the 43rd Los Angeles City Attorney, elected in November 2022 and sworn into office in December 2022. Her team of nearly 1,000 legal professionals, including 500+ attorneys, carries out legal work for the City of Los Angeles at her direction and under her supervision. She is the first female City Attorney in L.A. history.