Senator Sasha Renée Pérez issues statement on federal court ruling limiting Trump’s immigration enforcement raids

SACRAMENTO – Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) has issued the following statement on a federal court ruling limiting immigration enforcement actions in California’s Central District:

“The court’s ruling today is a powerful statement against the Trump Administration. As we have suspected, the federal government’s attorneys did not produce any compelling evidence that their cruel and aggressive immigration enforcement is anything more than racial profiling. Under questioning, they told the judge they look for people based on their race, their type of clothing and even their facial expressions. This is appalling to hear, but not surprising. We know this reckless federal witch-hunt is about creating terror in vulnerable communities and scoring political points.

“I am thoroughly impressed with the way District Court Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong questioned the attorneys and exposed the flimsy and discriminatory manner in which the federal administration is conducting these raids.

“I am grateful that today’s ruling by Judge Frimpong will provide the critical check and balance we need right now to limit many of the attacks we’ve seen on the streets and in the workplaces of our communities. 

“But we cannot stop our efforts to protect people’s rights. I am taking action by authoring SB 805, the No Vigilantes Act, which would expand the scope of existing police impersonation laws, require law enforcement operating in California to clearly display identification featuring either their name or badge number, authorize law enforcement to request identification from someone claiming to be law enforcement, and ban bounty hunters from engaging in any form of immigration enforcement.”

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Senator Sasha Renée Pérez is Chair of the Senate Education Committee and represents the 25th Senate District that includes the communities of Glendale, Pasadena, Alhambra, Altadena, Arcadia, Claremont, Glendora, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta-Montrose, Monrovia, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel, San Marino, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena, Temple City, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, and San Antonio Heights.