Overview
- U.S. District Judge Jennifer Thurston found Border Patrol violated her prior injunction and granted the United Farm Workers’ motion to enforce it, ordering agents across California’s Eastern District to record specific reasons for any stop or arrest.
- In a July 2025 Home Depot operation in Sacramento, agents detained day laborers and arrested 11 noncitizens and one U.S. citizen, with the court saying the footage showed detentions without reasonable suspicion.
- The judge said agents relied on 11 near-identical forms, redacted their own names, and filed records with errors or that could not be tied to a person, citing one “foot pursuit” report that conflicted with a 12‑minute walking distance.
- Government lawyers defended the sweep as driven by surveillance and intelligence, calling it common knowledge that workers gather at such lots and suggesting agents used video from above the store and nearby areas.
- The ruling will stay under seal for 14 days to remove sensitive details, and the judge warned compliance is required now as legal experts said fines or even contempt could follow if agents keep ignoring the order.