Border Patrol Expands Controversial Raids to Sacramento Amid New Court Orders
Border Patrol Expands Controversial Raids to Sacramento Amid New Court Orders
The U.S. Border Patrol has escalated its controversial operations, moving northward to Sacramento, California’s capital, on Thursday, just as new federal court rulings seek to curb its practices. This expansion comes despite existing judicial orders aimed at halting warrantless raids.
On Friday, a federal judge in Los Angeles issued a temporary restraining order, instructing federal immigration agents to cease the “roving patrols” that have aggressively targeted immigrants and U.S. citizens across Southern California. These month-long crackdowns have seen agents, often heavily armed, detain predominantly Latino men at locations like car washes, construction sites, and Home Depots.
The agency’s move into Sacramento’s Eastern District on Thursday appears to defy a separate court order that has been in place since January, prohibiting similar warrantless raids in that region. During Thursday’s operation, approximately 10 individuals were arrested at a Sacramento Home Depot. A video shared by KCRA showed masked agents chasing a man, identified as Jose Castillo, across a parking lot while his wife, Andrea Castillo, shouted that he was a U.S. citizen. An agent was seen pointing mace at the person filming, and another armed individual in a “police” vest joined the pursuit. Jose Castillo’s wife reported he is a U.S. citizen, while Border Patrol claimed he slashed a tire.
Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino, who is linked to both the Central Valley and Los Angeles operations, publicly stated in front of the State Capitol on Thursday, “There is no sanctuary anywhere.” He asserted the agency’s intent to remain and “secure the homeland.”
Adding to the legal pressure, a federal appeals court on Thursday denied the Department of Homeland Security’s request to pause the temporary restraining order won last week by civil rights groups. These groups contend that the “brazen, midday kidnappings” violate constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and that detainees are being illegally denied access to legal counsel.
California Governor Gavin Newsom strongly criticized the Border Patrol’s actions, stating they are attempting to circumvent court orders. His spokesperson, Diana Crofts-Pelayo, urged the agency to “do their jobs – at the border – instead of continuing their tirade statewide of illegal racial profiling and illegal arrests.”
The federal government, in court filings, maintains the legitimacy of its tactics, vowing to retrain agents on Fourth and Fifth Amendment principles. However, agency documents reportedly contradict Bovino’s public claims of targeting specific criminals, showing only one of 78 arrested individuals having a prior record in a past operation. This ongoing legal and public battle highlights the escalating tensions surrounding immigration enforcement in California.
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