US Supreme Court allows immigration raids in LA amid crackdown in Chicago

Washington, Sep 9 (IANS) In a major legal victory for the Trump administration, the US Supreme Court on Monday lifted a lower court injunction that had barred Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from conducting indiscriminate immigration raids in the Los Angeles area.

The 6-3 decision granted an emergency appeal from the Trump administration, allowing agents to resume operations while the case proceeds in the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Supreme Court majority provided no explanation, but Justice Brett Kavanaugh concurred separately, noting that agents could question based on "common sense criteria" such as day labor employment or limited English proficiency.

Kavanaugh also wrote, "The Judiciary does not set immigration policy or decide enforcement priorities."

Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented, joined by the two other liberal judges, writing, "We should not have to live in a country where the Government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low-wage job."

In July, a US District Judge ruled that the raids likely violated constitutional rights and prohibited stops based on race, ethnicity, or language.

After the 9th Circuit Court declined to block the order in early August, the Trump administration moved to the Supreme Court with an emergency petition.

The ruling comes as the Department of Homeland Security announced that it has started its campaign, called “Operation Midway Blitz,” against illegal migrants in Chicago.

Trump has threatened to deploy the military in Chicago for months, and last week posted a picture on Truth Social with a caption, “Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of War.”

As the immigration crackdown continues across the country, South Korea dispatched its foreign minister, Cho Hyun, to the United States on Monday to assist the return of over 300 Korean nationals who were detained in a massive immigration raid in Georgia last week.

On September 4, around 475 workers were detained at an under-construction battery plant, including more than 300 Korean workers. The incident has caused widespread uproar in South Korea, with lawmakers demanding strict retaliation against the US action.

Trump claimed that “workers were here illegally” and called on calling on all foreign companies investing in the United States to “please respect our Nation’s Immigration Laws.”

--IANS

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