Sotomayor Criticizes Kavanaugh’s Understanding of ICE Raids
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor expressed strong disapproval of her colleague Brett Kavanaugh regarding his views on ICE raids. She suggested that Kavanaugh’s privileged upbringing left him unable to relate to those who “work by the hour.”
This critique came after Kavanaugh’s earlier concurring opinion, which had removed restrictions on large-scale immigration raids conducted by the Trump administration in Los Angeles.
Kavanaugh had claimed that suspensions faced by immigrants are typically “brief,” and asserted that most individuals are “released quickly.” Sotomayor, however, speculated that Kavanaugh’s parents were office workers, implying he had limited interactions with immigrant communities.
During an event at the University of Kansas School of Law, Sotomayor referenced Kavanaugh’s opinion, stating, “I had a colleague in that case who wrote, ‘This is only a temporary suspension.'” She pointed out the disconnect by saying, “This is coming from a guy whose parents were professionals, and you probably don’t actually know anyone who works hourly.”
Sotomayor emphasized that even short detention can have significant repercussions for hourly workers. She remarked, “Nobody pays someone for the time they take you away,” highlighting how such detentions can disrupt the daily lives of affected families, noting how it might affect what children eat for dinner.
Kavanaugh’s September opinion had permitted the Trump administration to continue targeting individuals in the Los Angeles area based on factors like their occupation and whether they speak Spanish. In his statement, he argued that the suspension of an immigrant based on reasonable suspicion has long been a part of U.S. immigration enforcement across various administrations.
During the initial ruling’s announcement, Sotomayor and the other liberal justices expressed a strong dissent, asserting, “We should not live in a country where the government can arrest anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and works for low wages.”
