The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of California has filed a class-action lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), seeking to halt ongoing immigration enforcement operations in the Los Angeles area. The group alleges that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has engaged in unconstitutional raids and is detaining migrants in unsafe and inhumane conditions.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court, claims that ICE has targeted individuals based on racial profiling, detaining hundreds without proper legal justification or access to adequate legal representation. It also describes detainee conditions in an ICE holding center known as “B-18” as “deplorable” and “dungeon-like.”
ICE Accused of Targeting Latinos and Day Laborers
According to the ACLU’s habeas petition, ICE agents have arrested approximately 1,500 individuals since June 6, including day laborers, farmworkers, street vendors, and other Latino residents. The group alleges that agents have approached people based solely on their appearance and questioned them without warrants or probable cause.
“The raids follow a common pattern,” the lawsuit states. “Individuals with brown skin are pulled aside by unidentified agents and pressured to answer questions about their identity and origin. If they hesitate or attempt to leave, they are often tackled, detained, or arrested.”
The ACLU argues that such tactics violate Fourth and Fifth Amendment protections and disproportionately impact Latino communities.
Conditions in Holding Facility Described as Inhumane
The lawsuit also targets ICE’s use of the B-18 holding facility in downtown Los Angeles, which the plaintiffs say is overcrowded, lacks basic hygiene, and houses detainees in windowless, cramped rooms. The ACLU alleges that individuals held there are denied adequate food, medical care, and access to legal counsel — conditions it says are unconstitutional.
The suit demands an immediate suspension of the ICE raids, a ban on using the B-18 center for long-term detentions, and accountability for what the ACLU describes as systemic racial profiling and civil rights violations.
Federal Officials Reject Allegations
Homeland Security officials have strongly denied the claims.
“Any suggestion that ICE targets individuals based on skin color is disgusting and categorically false,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement to Fox News.
“Allegations of poor conditions at our detention centers are equally unfounded. ICE facilities exceed the standards of most U.S. prisons. Detainees receive proper meals, medical care, and legal access.”
The lawsuit names several high-ranking officials as defendants, including DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and various local ICE, CBP, and FBI officials operating in the region.
Protests Erupt Across Los Angeles
In conjunction with the lawsuit, large demonstrations have taken place across Los Angeles. On Tuesday, between 150 and 200 anti-ICE protesters shut down the Sixth Street Bridge connecting downtown L.A. and Boyle Heights, holding signs that read “Sick of ICE!” and “Eviction Moratorium Now!” Others chanted “ICE out of L.A.”
“This bridge has become a corridor for ICE to detain members of our community,” said activist Christian Alcaraz during the demonstration.
Elsewhere in the city, rallies were held in Koreatown and other neighborhoods, signaling growing opposition to the Trump administration’s intensified immigration enforcement.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has criticized the raids, claiming they are creating a “ghost town effect” reminiscent of COVID-era lockdowns in parts of the city.
Background
President Donald Trump has vowed to carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history as part of his second-term immigration agenda. Los Angeles, a sanctuary city with a large immigrant population, has become a key flashpoint in that effort.
The legal challenge from the ACLU and its partner organizations, including Public Counsel, is expected to intensify debate around immigration enforcement and civil liberties as the issue continues to dominate headlines across California and beyond.
