Immigration authorities may receive expanded authority to approach and interrogate individuals of Latin descent, according to a potential ruling by the Supreme Court.

In a case that has sparked controversy and fear, the Supreme Court of the United States is currently considering the legality of immigration agents' authority to stop and question Latinos in Los Angeles. The case, Noem vs. Perdomo, comes after a temporary restraining order was issued by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on August 1, halting the controversial street sweeps.

The controversy began on June 18 when three Pasadena residents were arrested at a bus stop. The Trump administration claims the street sweeps were aimed at criminals, but data shows otherwise. The vast majority of illegal aliens in the Central District of California, which includes Los Angeles and Orange counties, come from Mexico or Central America and many only speak Spanish.

The case has focused on the legality of the stops, with U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong stating that roving patrols identifying people based on race alone and detaining them without reasonable suspicion is illegal. The crucial phrase in this case is "reasonable suspicion."

Solicitor Gen. D. John Sauer wrote that the high prevalence of illegal aliens in the Southern California area should enable agents to stop a relatively broad range of individuals. However, he emphasized that the government is not "extolling racial profiling." Administration lawyers argue that reasonable suspicion is a low bar and apparent ethnicity can be a factor supporting reasonable suspicion.

Immigration rights advocates argue against an "extraordinarily expansive dragnet," stating that it places millions of law-abiding people at imminent risk of detention by federal agents. Daily patrols have cast a pall over the district, where millions meet the government's broad demographic profile and reasonably fear that they may be caught up in the government's dragnet, potentially being separated from their families for extended periods.

The district judge's order applies to the Central District of California, which has nearly 2 million illegal aliens out of an area population of 20 million. The court's conservatives have regularly sided with Trump and against federal district judges who have stood in his way in recent weeks.

Pedro Vasquez Perdomo and two other Pasadena residents were among those arrested at a bus stop, feeling like it was a kidnapping. The plaintiffs in the case include people who were handcuffed, arrested, and taken to holding facilities, despite being U.S. citizens.

The Supreme Court may act at any time, but it may also be several weeks before an order is issued, possibly with little or no explanation. The outcome of this case could have significant implications for immigration enforcement in the Los Angeles area and beyond.