On Monday, September 8th, 2025, the Supreme Court overturned US District Judge Frimpong’s order that prohibited federal agents in Los Angeles from stopping passerbys based on their race, language, and workplace to question them on their immigration status. This contentious 6 to 3 Court decision allows Los Angeles Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to continue to stop pedestrians and temporarily detain them based on factors like race, ethnicity, accent, language, and their place of work.
In the Court’s final decision, the conservative majority wrote that the lower courts overly restricted ICE agents. Six court justices decided that race and ethnicity could be a reasonable factor in determining reasonable suspicion, but only paired with other “salient” factors. The rest of the White House openly welcomed this decision in a public statement, continuing with President Trump’s mandate to arrest and deport “criminal illegal aliens”.
Conversely, the liberal minority issued their dissenting, or opposing opinion that the decision puts constitutional freedoms at risk, writing about the aggressive approaches of detaining suspected illegal immigrants. According to the New York Times, Justice Sonia Sotomayor stated that the decision restricted an entire minority to “the indignity of having to carry documentation to prove that they deserve to walk freely,” violating Fourth Amendment freedoms that exempt citizens from random searches and arrests.
Although this issue emerged in Los Angeles, Supreme Court rulings apply nationwide. This decision regarding ICE raids and seizures extends beyond the borders of California. ICE agents in Los Angeles now have explicit permission to question individuals on their immigration status based on their perceived racial background, the language they speak, and their place of work.
In recent census data, Provo’s Hispanic population is 18.9%, and 1 out of 5 Provo residents speak Spanish at home. Timpview’s student body is largely diverse, and many of our friends and peers fit into the 18.9% Hispanic population of Provo. An anonymous Timpview senior expressed that, despite their legal citizenship, “My family could be put at risk of search and seizure, just because of how we look and the language we speak.”
Many of us know families of immigrants, and might be immigrants ourselves. In a statement released by Provo School District at the beginning of 2025, administration reiterated that they “do not share immigration status of students or parents with outside agencies… Provo City School District is committed to ensuring that students are safe and well cared for at school. ”
While the Supreme Court’s decision this Monday has yet to completely unfold, the National Partnership for New Americans explains how human rights activists and immigrant families feel greater apprehension towards federal mandates to deport illegal immigrants. In the walls of Timpview High School, however, every student, regardless of race, language, and employment, will be protected.
