NYLAG Rebukes SCOTUS Decision Greenlighting ICE Racial Profiling

Recent Supreme Court decision emboldens immigration authorities to continue likely unconstitutional racial & ethnic profiling in mass detentions and arrests

NEW YORK - Mon., Sept. 8, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the federal administration in a 6-3 ruling that will overturn a federal judge's previous order and uphold and further embolden Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)'s use of racial profiling to carry out mass arrests. The previous order from a federal judge prohibited ICE from stopping people in Los Angeles and questioning them about their immigration status based solely on factors like ethnicity, language or racial stereotypes.

In its dissent, the minority warned that the Supreme Court's majority ruling means that, "all Latinos, U.S. citizens or not, who work low-wage jobs are fair game to be seized at any time, taken away from work, and held until they provide proof of their legal status to the agents' satisfaction."

In response, Lisa Rivera, president and CEO, New York Legal Assistance Group issued the following statement:

"Last week's decision from the highest court in our country is a dangerous one. The Supreme Court's decision to overturn the order that had temporarily protected Angelenos from unconstitutional ICE raids and arrests made without probable cause and in the shadow of due process will only exacerbate the recent lawlessness that we've seen federal agents carry out from coast to coast.

"In New York City, our civil immigration courts have been marred by unprecedented violence. Masked federal agents from ICE and other federal agencies have carried out extrajudicial arrests, undermining due process by detaining people as soon as they exit the courtroom after routine asylum hearings. NYLAG attorneys have witnessed heartbreaking, deeply traumatic incidents in which families were nearly permanently separated due to cases of mistaken identity. This latest ruling only increases the likelihood that such incidents will continue to occur, whether in Los Angeles or New York.

"This unjust ruling will only make people less safe, endanger communities of color, and further compound the harm that has been inflicted on immigrant communities since the start of this federal administration. This unjust ruling will only make people less safe, endanger communities of color, and further compound the harm that has been inflicted on immigrant communities since the start of this federal administration."

Share this post