Supreme Court endorses contentious ICE methods, raising concerns that they might be implemented in Chicago, making advocates uneasy

In a controversial decision, the Supreme Court has cleared the way for federal agents to conduct sweeping immigration operations in Los Angeles. The ruling, handed down on Monday, July 13, has sparked concern among legal experts and advocates, who fear that the same tactics may be deployed in Chicago.

The ruling barred federal agents from stopping people solely based on their race, language, job, or location. However, it's unclear if the ruling applies beyond Los Angeles, and legal experts have said it's unclear if the Supreme Court's ruling directly applies to immigration enforcement in Chicago.

Nicole Hallett, a professor of Law and director of the Immigrants' Rights Clinic at the University of Chicago, expresses her concern, stating that the Supreme Court's ruling may be read by ICE as giving them carte blanche for their enforcement tactics. She tells the I-Team that it appears that the Supreme Court has condoned racial profiling in Los Angeles, a basic principle that we don't racially profile in this country.

The city affected by the Supreme Court decision is Los Angeles, where Operation "Midway Blitz" has been labeled by the Department of Homeland Security. Reports suggest that the operation may be a small-scale version of the mass arrests of migrants in Los Angeles from back in June.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in a dissenting opinion, says the decision erodes constitutional freedoms. She writes that countless people have been grabbed, thrown to the ground, and handcuffed based on their looks, accents, and manual labor in Los Angeles.

DHS officials have called the ruling a "major victory," arguing there are no "indiscriminate stops" being made. They state that what makes someone a target of ICE is if they are illegally in the U.S.

However, the lawsuit at the center of the ruling will continue to unfold in California, with a hearing set for Sept. 24. The plaintiffs in the case included U.S. citizens swept up in immigration stops.

In Chicago, concerns have been raised following a video showing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents handcuffing a man who is a flower vendor on Chicago's Southwest Side on Sunday. Trump's Republican administration argued that the order wrongly restricted agents carrying out its widespread crackdown on illegal immigration.

If similar lawsuits are filed based on immigration enforcement in Chicago, Hallett suggests that the high court may rule the same way as they did in Los Angeles. She emphasises that it's a basic principle that we don't racially profile in this country, and any erosion of that principle is a cause for concern.