WASHINGTON, April 1 (Reuters) – A federal judge in California said on Wednesday that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials had violated a previous order \u200bfrom her on warrantless arrests when they carried out an immigration \u200csweep in a Home Depot parking lot in Sacramento.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
U.S. District Judge Jennifer Thurston, an appointee of Democratic former President Joe Biden, had issued an order in April last year \u200bbarring federal agents from warrantless arrests without finding probable cause of \u200ba flight risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The judge said that border agents appeared to \u2060be in violation of her order when they carried out an immigration \u200benforcement action in a Home Depot parking lot in Sacramento in July 2025, \u200band ordered agents throughout the Eastern District of California to properly document reasons to make future stops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Donald Trump’s administration has pursued an aggressive and hardline immigration crackdown which has been \u200bwidely condemned by human rights groups as being in violation of due \u200bprocess and free speech rights. Rights groups also say the crackdown has created an unsafe environment \u200cfor \u2060ethnic minorities in the U.S. and raised fears of racial profiling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump has cast his actions as being aimed at reducing illegal immigration and improving domestic security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Congress requires Agents to consider whether, when making warrantless arrests, the noncitizen poses \u200ba flight risk or \u200ba danger \u2060to community if released. Rather than abide by Congress’ mandate, Agents arrested everyone who could not establish citizenship,” Thurston said \u200bin court records, opens new tab released on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The judge said that in \u200bthe July \u20602025 immigration enforcement action in the parking lot of the Home Depot in Sacramento, agents used 11 “virtually identical” forms to support detentions and arrests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Having carefully examined \u2060the \u200bentire record, including the recorded footage of the \u200bSacramento action, the Court finds that Defendants have again detained people without reasonable suspicion for doing \u200bso,” the judge said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n