The U.S.

Supreme Court, in A63 decision, lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California by overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.

The ruling means immigration agents can legally resume aggressive street sweeps that began in early June in Los Angeles, the epicenter for President Donald Trump's mass deportation campaign.

The three justices appointed by Democratic presidents dissented from the majority, stressing that they objected to the court lifting limitations on immigration sweeps without oral argument, and through the emergency docket, which the Trump administration has used extensively this year.

That decision is yet another grave misuse of our emergency docket.

We should not have to live in a country where the government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speak Spanish and appears to work a low wage job, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in the dissent.

Los Angeles and dozens of other southern California municipalities wrote in an amicus brief supporting the restraining order that because of the population make up that, quote, half the population of the region now meets the federal government's criteria for potentially being stopped and questioned about their immigration status.

Governor Gavin Newsom, in a written statement, condemned the decision and said the state would, quote, continue fighting these abhorrent attacks on Californians, end quote.

A coalition of civil rights, immigrants rights and local government agencies, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the United Farm Workers, sought the order, arguing the L.A.

area raids have violated people's rights by allowing federal immigration agents to stop people who simply appear to be Latino, including U.S.

citizens.

Despite the previous order barring profiling, agents have continued an aggressive enforcement blitz in the nation's second largest city.

The case is likely to have an enormous impact not just for Los Angeles, but across the country.

For Calmatters, I'm Wendy Fry, with additional reporting by Sergio Olmos.