Santa Ana, California — Officials in Santa Ana, the only Sanctuary City in Orange County, have aligned with local governments in a federal lawsuit aimed at challenging recent immigration enforcement actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Southern California. The lawsuit claims that ICE has engaged in warrantless stops and arrests, employing excessive force and racial profiling during its operations.
City Council members voted unanimously during a closed session on Tuesday to support the legal action led by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) along with various immigration rights advocacy organizations. The city issued a news release stating that joining the lawsuit demonstrates solidarity with neighboring jurisdictions against practices that damage community trust and violate legal rights.
Councilwoman Jessie Lopez was not present at the meeting but has previously expressed her endorsement of the lawsuit, as reported by Voice of OC. The move follows a recent federal judge’s ruling that temporarily halted the Department of Homeland Security from detaining individuals in Southern California based solely on their race, language, or occupation.
This temporary restraining order applies to the U.S. Central District of California, which encompasses Orange County and several others, including Los Angeles and Riverside counties. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has refuted allegations of racial profiling, asserting that its enforcement operations are targeted carefully.
The department’s spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, defended the agency’s actions, emphasizing the removal of individuals deemed dangerous, including those with serious criminal backgrounds. “Law and order will prevail,” McLaughlin stated in an email.
Data from the DHS reveals that a significant portion of those detained do not pose a threat. As of June 23, 84% of the nearly 3,300 detainees in California are classified as “no ICE threat.” Additionally, a federal court has mandated that detained individuals must have access to legal representation through visitation and private phone calls with attorneys.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with several cities in Los Angeles County, joined the litigation against DHS, voicing concerns about racial profiling tactics used during sweeps. “Their sweeping stops of Angelenos, based not on any evidence of wrongdoing but instead on racial profiling, is flagrantly unconstitutional,” Bonta stated. He emphasized the chilling effect these practices have on the community.
The Santa Ana statement reiterated that the lawsuit aims to prevent federal agencies like ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from conducting unlawful stops and raids without reasonable suspicion or probable cause, often driven by perceived ethnicity.
This legal challenge marks a significant moment in the ongoing debate over immigration enforcement and the rights of individuals in the United States, particularly in areas with large immigrant populations.
The situation continues to evolve as community leaders and legal advocates push back against federal immigration enforcement practices, aiming to protect vulnerable populations and uphold constitutional rights.
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