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(FOX40.COM) — Immigration advocates and community organizers gathered outside the federal courthouse in downtown Sacramento on Thursday to protest a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision expanding the authority of federal immigration agents.
The court overturned a Southern California judge’s order that had limited federal agents from detaining people based solely on their appearance, the language they speak or their place of work. Opponents say the ruling opens the door to racial profiling, while supporters argue it affirms law enforcement’s ability to enforce immigration laws.
Giselle Garcia with NorCal Resist, one of the groups leading the rally, said the decision undermines basic rights and puts vulnerable communities at greater risk.
“Today we’re gathering together as a community to educate one another and also show an arc of solidarity,” Garcia said. “This provision is making the vulnerable even that much more vulnerable. It’s violating a constitutional right that you will not be profiled based on the color of your skin or the language you speak.”
Garcia said her organization has monitored immigration enforcement in the region and has seen families impacted even when individuals provide proof of citizenship or legal status.
But California Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, a Republican representing District 75, rejected those claims, calling them harmful and misleading.
“These protesters are lying and smearing our law enforcement officers. Nobody’s being arrested on the basis of their skin color. That is defamatory,” DeMaio said. “We should be thanking them, not smearing them with dangerous false rhetoric.”
DeMaio added that the United States welcomes more than a million legal immigrants every year, which he believes strengthens the country.
For now, both sides say they plan to continue pressing their case; immigrant rights groups through community rallies, and lawmakers by reinforcing support for federal enforcement.
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Cedric Hood
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