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California Sues Trump Over Immigration Arrests Near Courthouses
Confirmed
In Short: California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued the Trump administration for the 100th time on Thursday, challenging the practice of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arresting individuals for alleged civil immigration violations at or near state courthouses.
Bonta's office argued that these arrests violate the Immigration and Nationality Act as intended by Congress and interfere with California's rights under the 10th Amendment to execute its core judicial and police functions.
Bonta stated that the arrests disrupt criminal proceedings, as victims and witnesses are too scared to testify, leading to dropped charges and jeopardized cases.
In response, White House spokesperson Lauren Bis criticized Bonta, suggesting he should focus on addressing problems in his own state rather than filing what she called 'frivolous lawsuits.'
A federal judge with the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California issued a preliminary injunction to block the U.S. government from conducting warrantless civil immigration arrests in the district unless the arrestee is deemed likely to escape before a warrant can be procured.
ICE maintains that agents have the authority to conduct lawful arrests where authorized under 8 USC 1357, using 'reasonable suspicion' to investigate immigration status and 'probable cause' to make arrests consistent with the statute and the Fourth Amendment.
The Trump administration's aggressive immigration policies have led to a series of lawsuits, including a whistleblower lawsuit from a former immigration judge in California.
The federal government has spent nearly $1.5 billion to acquire two California detention centers from prison operator CoreCivic, marking one of the largest real estate deals tied to the Trump administration’s expansion of immigration enforcement.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security purchased the 1,994-bed Otay Mesa Detention Center in Greater San Diego for $739.2 million and the 2,560-bed California City Detention Facility in Kern County north of Los Angeles for $732.6 million.
Bonta emphasized that the 100 lawsuits reflect not political interference but the Trump administration's nearly unbridled lawlessness.
California Governor Gavin Newsom called the Department of Justice’s suit 'a sad, desperate attempt' by the White House to suppress California voters weeks before Election Day.
ICE claims that around 20,000 noncitizens are registered to vote in California, a figure that initially was reported to be 190,000.
A second federal judge has blocked President Trump’s $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas, ruling that federal immigration officials bypassed required rulemaking procedures before putting the charge into effect.
What this adds
The federal government's aggressive immigration policies have led to a series of lawsuits, including a whistleblower lawsuit from a former immigration judge in California.
A second federal judge has blocked President Trump’s $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas, ruling that federal immigration officials bypassed required rulemaking procedures before putting the charge into effect.
Background
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said Guilfoyle’s reported conduct was unacceptable and risked undermining the credibility of U.S. government officials abroad.
What's confirmed
- Bonta's office argued that these arrests violate the Immigration and Nationality Act as intended by Congress and interfere with California's rights under the 10th Amendment to execute its core judicial and police functions.
- Bonta stated that the arrests disrupt criminal proceedings, as victims and witnesses are too scared to testify, leading to dropped charges and jeopardized cases.
- A federal judge with the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California issued a preliminary injunction to block the U.S. government from conducting warrantless civil immigration arrests in the district unless the arrestee is deemed likely to escape before a warrant can be procured.
- ICE maintains that agents have the authority to conduct lawful arrests where authorized under 8 USC 1357, using 'reasonable suspicion' to investigate immigration status and 'probable cause' to make arrests consistent with the statute and the Fourth Amendment.
- The Trump administration's aggressive immigration policies have led to a series of lawsuits, including a whistleblower lawsuit from a former immigration judge in California.
- The federal government has spent nearly $1.5 billion to acquire two California detention centers from prison operator CoreCivic, marking one of the largest real estate deals tied to the Trump administration’s expansion of immigration enforcement.
- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security purchased the 1,994-bed Otay Mesa Detention Center in Greater San Diego for $739.2 million and the 2,560-bed California City Detention Facility in Kern County north of Los Angeles for $732.6 million.
- Bonta emphasized that the 100 lawsuits reflect not political interference but the Trump administration's nearly unbridled lawlessness.
- California Governor Gavin Newsom called the Department of Justice’s suit 'a sad, desperate attempt' by the White House to suppress California voters weeks before Election Day.
- ICE claims that around 20,000 noncitizens are registered to vote in California, a figure that initially was reported to be 190,000.
- A second federal judge has blocked President Trump’s $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas, ruling that federal immigration officials bypassed required rulemaking procedures before putting the charge into effect.
What's still developing
- Set us as preferred California sued the Trump administration for the 100th time in under two years Thursday, challenging the practice of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arresting people for alleged civil immigration violations at or near state courthouses.
- Daniel Farber, a professor at UC Berkeley Law School and author of “Contested Ground: How to Understand the Limits on Presidential Power,” said California’s raft of lawsuits is a result of the current Trump administration “doing more aggressive things right off the starting block” — but also repeatedly targeting California specifically.
- Those demands became public last month through a lawsuit in which 22 state attorneys general, including California, sued to block the federal government from carrying out a subpoena seeking driver records.
- “No family should have to choose between accessing healthcare and nutrition assistance today — or protecting their pathway to a green card tomorrow,” said Bonta in a press statement announcing the lawsuit.
- 18, dramatically expanding the ability of immigration officials to use participation in means-tested public benefits programs as grounds to deny lawful permanent residency.
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), although those agreements can be terminated by the agency.
- When discussing immigration, Hilton accused Becerra of focusing solely on Trump, saying, 'All you say is Trump, Trump, Trump,' while Becerra did not defend Democratic officeholders.
- Gilliam Jr. of the Northern District of California issued the order Wednesday, September 30, blocking U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the State Department from implementing the fee while a lawsuit challenging the policy moves forward.
- Independent legal experts said several factors have driven the wave of lawsuits.
- “The reality is, with well over 25 Supreme Court victories, the administration’s policies have been consistently upheld as lawful, despite some lower courts issuing an unprecedented number of lawless injunctions,” Bis said.
- Bonta said his office having to take the Trump administration to court 100 times in less than two years, often alongside other Democrat-led states, was a “sobering milestone” and a reflection not of political interference on California’s part — as the president and his supporters have cast it — but of Trump’s nearly unbridled lawlessness.
- The lawsuit comes after the Justice Department said California officials failed to meet a 48-hour deadline to review a password-protected thumb drive that contains a list of 20,000 names.
Sources
- Los Angeles Timeslink
- Scrippsnewslink
- Attackofthefanboylink
- Santafenewmexicanlink
- Washingtonexaminerlink
- Sfstandardlink
- Calmatterslink
- Sfchroniclelink
- Americancommunitymedialink
- Fox Newslink
- Fox23link
- Politifactlink
- Commercialobserverlink
- Warpbeatlink
- Lawcommentarylink
- WarpBeat — background on Guilfoyle exit refuels Democrats’ corruption messaging against Trump link