The US Supreme Court has handed a major victory to the Trump administration, allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to resume immigration raids in the Los Angeles area. In a 6-3 ruling, the court lifted a lower court order that had barred the controversial operations.
The decision permits ICE agents to act while the case moves forward in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, concurring separately, argued that immigration agents should be able to rely on &ldquo;common sense criteria&rdquo; such as day-labor employment or limited English proficiency. &ldquo;The Judiciary does not set immigration policy or decide enforcement priorities,&rdquo; he wrote.
In a sharp dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by the two other liberal justices, warned that the ruling effectively greenlights racial profiling. &ldquo;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,&rdquo; she said.
The order reverses a July district court ruling that found the raids likely unconstitutional for targeting people based on race, ethnicity, or language. That decision was upheld by the 9th Circuit last month before being overturned at the nation&rsquo;s highest court.
The ruling coincides with the Department of Homeland Security launching &ldquo;Operation Midway Blitz&rdquo; in Chicago, a campaign targeting undocumented migrants. Former President Trump has repeatedly threatened military deployment in Chicago, recently posting on Truth Social, &ldquo;Chicago about to find out why it&rsquo;s called the Department of War.&rdquo;
The crackdown has already sparked international fallout. In South Korea, outrage erupted after more than 300 Korean nationals were detained during a raid at a Georgia battery plant last week. Seoul has dispatched its foreign minister, Cho Hyun, to Washington to assist with their release.
Trump defended the detentions, insisting the workers were in the US illegally. &ldquo;Workers were here illegally. We welcome foreign companies, but please respect our Nation&rsquo;s Immigration Laws,&rdquo; he said.
As raids expand from Los Angeles to Chicago and beyond, the ruling sets the stage for an intensifying legal and political battle over America&rsquo;s immigration enforcement.

6-3 ruling lets Trump admin resume immigration raids as Chicago faces new crackdown

US Supreme Court Clears ICE Raids in LA

6-3 ruling lets Trump admin resume immigration raids as Chicago faces new crackdown

September 9, 2025 | 08:59 IST