Statement from Armando Gudino, Executive Director, Los Angeles Worker Center Network (LAWCN):
The Ninth Circuit’s decision to uphold protections against racialized immigration enforcement is a landmark victory for workers, immigrants, and the Constitution itself. At its core, this ruling affirms that being brown, speaking Spanish, or simply showing up to work is not probable cause. It sends a resounding message: ICE and local law enforcement are not above the law, and the Fourth Amendment does not stop at the gates of a carwash, a garment factory, or a food distribution line.
This case is about more than legal precedent, it is about the lived experiences of immigrants across Los Angeles who have been targeted not for their actions, but for their language, appearance, or the neighborhoods they call home. While this case centered on the experiences of Spanish-speaking Latino workers, those most frequently profiled and harmed by these raids, we also recognize that immigrants from all backgrounds, races, and nations have felt the trauma and injustice of unchecked enforcement.
As one of the lead plaintiffs in this case, the Los Angeles Worker Center Network (LAWCN) is proud to have stood alongside these workers and to have carried their voices into the courtroom. Our member organization, CLEAN Carwash Worker Center, played a leading role in this legal challenge, supported by the strength of our entire network: the Garment Worker Center, Warehouse Worker Resource Center, Los Angeles Black Worker Center, Pilipino Workers Center, the Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance, UCLA Labor Center, and Bet Tzedek Legal Services. These organizations have stood with us through fearless leadership, organizing, and advocacy, worker power built over decades that laid the foundation for this victory. This win is not just a legal success, it is a tribute to the worker centers and grassroots movements that refused to be silent.
This decision honors the courage of workers who risked everything to speak truth to power. It reaffirms what we have long fought for: racial profiling is not law enforcement; it is a violation of the Constitution. This ruling protects workers’ dignity, reinforces due process, and restores trust in our communities. And while it directly impacts federal enforcement practices in California, its moral force reverberates across the country.
We dedicate this victory to every worker center in our LAWCN family, who continue to stand on the front lines in defense of immigrant workers’ rights.
But let us be clear, this fight is not over. We fully expect the Trump administration to escalate this battle to the U.S. Supreme Court, where the stakes will be even higher and the legal terrain more treacherous. To that I say, do not be intimidated. May it inspire you, as it does me, to come together and prepare to fight even harder. Fight for this city, our communities, our workers, and in preservation of the constitutional protections afforded to all of us.
When workers rise, justice follows. And we are just getting started.