In September 2025, Los Angeles residents woke to the sound of sirens and
helicopters as federal agents swept through car washes, construction sites,
and local markets. The operation, called “Operation At Large,” led to the
arrest of hundreds of Latino workers within hours. That same morning, the
Supreme Court quietly reinstated the raids on its emergency docket in Noem
v. Vasquez Perdomo (2025). The decision allowed immigration authorities to
resume detentions even as evidence of racial profiling mounted. Justice
Kavanaugh’s opinion treats race, language, and occupation as “relevant
factors” when determining reasonable suspicion, a line of reasoning that
belongs to the racial profiling the Court rejected fifty years ago in
United States v. Brignoni-Ponce (1975). At the same time, the majority
relies on Los Angeles v. Lyons (1983) to limit who can bring challenges
against enforcement programs, shutting out the very communities that face
repeated violations. Together, these moves weaken both the Fourth
Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and the ability to
seek relief through the courts.
— Read on www.culawreview.org/journal/reopening-the-door-to-racial-profiling-the-fourth-amendment-after-noem