Asian American and other immigrant organizations warned of grave consequences after Monday’s Supreme Court ruling essentially greenlighting racial profiling.
The court ruled that federal agents could stop people simply for looking a certain way or speaking a certain language.
While most of the attention focused on the Latino community, Asian Americans Advancing Justice joined in condemning the ruling.
“This ruling is dangerous. It strips away fundamental protections and normalizes harassment of immigrants and U.S. citizens alike,” said Aileen Louie, Interim CEO of Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California, in an emailed statement. “It tells our communities that the way you look, the language you speak, or the place you work can now make you a target. That is unconstitutional and unacceptable.”
The justices 6-3 ruling split along party lines, with the justices nominated by Republican presidents voting in the majority and 3 Democratic-nominated justices in the minority.
The vote set aside a decision by US District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong who ruling July 11 halted warrantless stops of those who simply looked Latino.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh in a concurring opinion called race a “relevant factor” and a “common sense” indicator, reported The Guardian. He also included occupations such as landscaping, agriculture or construction in his definition of “common sense “indicators of a person’s immigration status.
The AAPI Equity Alliance denounced the ruling and demanded an end to what it called “the terror.”
“We will not sit idly while the increased ICE and Border Patrol presence in our communities and the dehumanization of our people fan the flames of hate and fear,” said Manjusha Kulkarni, the group’s executive director. “Together, this decision and actions by the Trump Administration, have a chilling effect on the economy and quality of life for all people.”
The executive director of the American Immigrant Lawyer’s Association said the court’s temporary ruling would allow the Trump administration “to continue its indiscriminate immigration enforcement in Los Angeles.”
“This Supreme Court decision upends the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee that all Americans will be free from arbitrary targeting by law enforcement,” said Ben Johnson in a statement. “It threatens to transform America into a ‘show me your papers’ nation where Immigration and Customs Enforcement can target and stop people because of the way they look, sound, work, or even where they are standing in public. Every American should be gravely concerned.”
The courts ruling is pending a final decision on the merits of Frimpont’s lower court ruling.