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.

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