U.S. immigration enforcement stories

Sep 17, 2026

Federal judge restricts warrantless immigration arrests in Southern California

U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong issued a preliminary injunction blocking immigration officers from making warrantless civil arrests in Southern California unless they determine a person is likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained. The order, granted on September 2 and unsealed on September 16, came in response to an ACLU lawsuit.

Sep 17, 20265 sources

Top claims

▪U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh stated that apparent ethnicity could be a relevant factor for an immigration stop if combined with other information.
▪U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong issued a preliminary injunction on September 2, 2026, unsealed on September 16, 2026, blocking federal immigration officers from making warrantless civil arrests in Southern California unless they determine the arrestee is likely to escape.
▪U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong ruled that a person's unlawful presence in the United States is not sufficient on its own to conclude that the person is likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained.

Subtopics

Federal court rulings1 Immigration & refugees1

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