Santa Barbara and Carpinteria are joining the American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit against the Trump Administration over federal immigration enforcement actions, along with several other Southern California cities.
The lawsuit, Perdomo, et al. v. Noem, et al., filed on July 2, alleges that federal agents have used immigration raids to target individuals based on race or ethnicity without reasonable suspicion and engaged in unlawful detentions.
“Immigrants are a vital part of the Carpinteria community, and the city will continue to uphold its commitment to creating a ‘Community for All,’ where everyone can live with dignity, respect, and safety,” said Carpinteria Mayor Natalia Alarcon. “By joining this lawsuit, the city affirms that it will stand by its immigrant community and protect against the infringement of constitutional rights and civil liberties.”
Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse said the recents raids in Santa Barbara County have caused anxiety amongst community members.
“Recent immigration enforcement operations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have caused widespread disruption across Santa Barbara County and neighboring communities, instilling fear and instability through detainments in public spaces, businesses, schools, and workplaces,” Rowse said. “These actions have discouraged community participation, reduced access to essential services, and negatively impacted the local economy. “
While the city supports law enforcement, it objects to the methods used by federal agents in recent enforcement actions, Rowse said.
“The city is particularly troubled by the use of masked law enforcement officers, which has raised concerns about false detainment by impersonators and undermined public trust,” Rowse said.
Other cities joining the lawsuit include Long Beach, Pomona, Southgate, Linwood, Huntington Park, Paramount Bell Gardens, Beverly Hills, Anaheim, Santa Ana, and Oxnard, which allege that the actions from federal agents violate the United States Constitution, according to a news release from Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto.
These cities are part of a second coalition to intervene in the lawsuit. The first group included Los Angeles city and county, Pico Rivera, Montebello, Monterey Park, Culver City, Santa Monica and West Hollywood, NBC Los Angeles reported.
The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California has issued temporary restraining orders against the federal government while the court case proceeds. The orders were recently upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the case is moving forward to the next stage of litigation.
President Donald Trump’s administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to halt the restraining order, ABC7 reported. The Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the matter.
The Carpinteria City Council unanimously approved joining the lawsuit at a special closed session meeting on July 29, just a few weeks after a federal raid at a cannabis farm in Carpinteria where agents arrested 10 immigrant workers and deployed flash-bang and smoke grenades on protesters.
There have been additional immigration enforcement-related arrests on the streets of Santa Barbara and other communities in the county.
Santa Barbara and Carpinteria will be represented by Munger, Tolles, and Olson LLP, a Los Angeles based law firm providing free representation for this case, according to Carpinteria Assistant City Manager Ryan Kintz.
The lawsuit is set for a hearing on a preliminary injunction on Wednesday, Sept. 24. If granted, the preliminary injunction could extend the conditions of the temporary restraining order as the case progresses, according to Soto, the Los Angeles City Attorney.