Judge blocks warrantless ICE arrests in Southern California

A federal judge in Los Angeles has issued a preliminary injunction blocking immigration agents in Southern California from conducting warrantless civil arrests unless they first determine, on a case-by-case basis, that a person is likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained. The ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, applies to the Central District of California, which includes Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties. The order, granted on September 2 and unsealed on September 17, stems from a class-action lawsuit filed in July 2025 by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, Public Counsel, and other advocacy groups. The suit challenged the federal government's immigration enforcement tactics following a surge of raids in the region. The judge certified a class of individuals arrested without a warrant and without an individualized escape risk assessment since June 6, 2025. In her order, Judge Frimpong found that the government "is regularly abstaining from conducting a likelihood of escape analysis at all" when making warrantless arrests.