A federal judge in California issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the California Border Patrol from making arrests without a warrant or reasonable suspicion in much of the state. This decision follows a massive raid on January 7-8, 2025 in Kern County, where dozens of farmworkers, including a U.S. citizen, were detained.
Judge Jennifer Thurston of the Eastern District of California ruled in favor of the United FarmWorkers Union(UFW) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The organizations sued Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for alleged racial discrimination and due process violations. The Eastern District of California stretches from Bakersfield, north of Los Angeles, to the Oregon border. In this rural region, Hispanic and immigrant communities represent a critical part of the agricultural workforce.
What did the court order?
Judge Thurston stated that:
California Border Patrol agents cannot detain individuals without reasonable suspicion that they are in the country illegally.
Warrantless arrests are prohibited unless there is probable cause that the individual will flee.
Each detention shall be duly documented, including facts and circumstances that justify it.
Hispanic and immigrant communities represent a fundamental part of the agricultural workforce
QueOnnda.com
In her 88-page ruling, the judge noted that the Border Patrol’s practices “cause imminent and irreparable harm.”
Especially to vulnerable people such as farm workers.
Many of them were transferred more than 300 miles south to a detention center on the Mexican border.
Impact on the immigrant community
The raid left at least 40 people – long-term residents of Kern County – stranded in Mexico, separated from their families, without access to due process and forced to voluntarily leave the country.
Civil rights organizations have called the actions an attack on constitutional rights.
Bree Bernwanger, staff attorney for the ACLU of Northern California, said, “Today’s ruling affirms the dignity and constitutional rights of all people.”
For her part, Teresa Romero, president of the UFW, declared: “The Border Patrol cannot capture workers just because of their appearance or social status.
For more information, visit QueOnnda.com.
