A federal judge in California has barred Border Patrol agents from arresting someone suspected of living in the U.S. illegally unless they have a warrant or a reason to believe the person might flee before a warrant can be obtained.
Tuesday's ruling from U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston also says Border Patrol agents can’t stop people without having reasonable suspicion or return them to their countries of origin via “voluntary departure” unless that person is informed of their rights and agrees to leave. The ruling only applies to people within the court's Eastern District of California, Thurston said, where dozens of people were swept up in January after the Border Patrol launched an immigration enforcement action dubbed “Operation Return to Sender."
The American Civil Liberties Union sued Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and U.S. Border Patrol officials on behalf of the labor union United Farm Workers and people who were targeted during the Border Patrol raids.
The ACLU said border patrol agents spent nearly a week unconstitutionally detaining people who “appeared to be farmworkers or day laborers, regardless of their actual immigration status or individual circumstances.” The detainees were bussed to the border, held without any way to contact family or attorneys, and coerced into signing papers that said they had waived their right to see an immigration judge and voluntarily agreed to leave the country, the ACLU said.
“The evidence before the Court is that Border Patrol agents under DHS authority engaged in conduct that violated well-established constitutional rights,” Thurston wrote. She said the Border Patrol would have to provide a report showing exactly who is detained or arrested without warrants, and why, every 60 days until the lawsuit is concluded.
Attorneys for the Border Patrol had argued the judge lacked jurisdiction to consider the case, because federal law says that immigration matters can generally only be appealed once an immigration judge has issued a final order. Besides, the government’s attorneys said, the lawsuit is moot because the U.S. Border Patrol has already issued new guidance and training to its agents detailing exactly when people may be stopped or arrested without warrants, and what rights detainees have after their arrest.
But Thurston said the Border Patrol can't claim the lawsuit is moot simply because it issued a new policy after it was sued. The language in the new policy isn't strong enough to guard against the illegal stops, Thurston said, and there is no reason to believe that the policy wouldn't be changed again in the future.
FILE - Border Patrol agents wait for the arrival of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for a visit to the US-Mexico border in Sunland Park, N.M., Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton, FIle)
FILE - Border Patrol agents and members of the military look towards Tijuana, Mexico, as they stand between two border walls, March 21, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)
HOUSTON (AP) — It was a rough major league debut for Houston top prospect Brice Matthews on Friday night.
But the Astros are confident that he'll learn from his first game to be better moving forward.
Batting eighth and playing second base, Matthews went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts in a 7-3 loss to the Texas Rangers. He struck out in his first three at-bats before he was retired on a fly out in the ninth inning.
“I just want him to build from that last at-bat,” manager Joe Espada said. “He hit that ball hard. You could take a lot of positives from today. No. 1 I thought he handled himself really well, had confidence and he was asking the right questions in between at-bats, and also seeing how they're going to attack (him). There was a lot to learn from that first game.”
Matthews said he started to feel better at the plate after a couple of at-bats.
“I feel like as the night went on my at-bats got better, I got more comfortable out there,” he said. “And just seeing the fight and these guys they never quit, so it makes me wanna play even harder for them. So I’ll continue to do that.”
Matthews, an infielder rated as the organization’s top prospect by MLB.com, was hitting .283 with 12 doubles, five triples, 10 home runs and 39 RBIs in 73 games for Sugar Land this season. He has a .400 on-base percentage and a .476 slugging percentage. His team-leading 25 stolen bases rank fourth in the Pacific Coast League.
Matthews, who has primarily played second base this season, was taken 28th overall by the Astros in the 2023 amateur draft. He had a great June where he earned the organization’s minor league player of the month honors after hitting .306 with six doubles, three triples, four home runs and 16 RBIs in 25 games.
The 23-year-old hit for the cycle on May 10 against Sacramento when he went 4 for 6 with two RBIs.
Playing for the team he grew up rooting for was a dream come true for Matthews, who was born in Houston and attended high school in a nearby suburb.
“It was a whirlwind,” he said. “It was a lot of fun, just awesome atmosphere. Coming to these games as a kid, so to be on the other side of it and be able to play, it was a great feeling. We didn't get the job done today, but I'll cherish this moment forever.”
The move comes as the Astros placed outfielder Jake Meyers on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain retroactive to Thursday. They also transferred INF/OF Zach Dezenzo to the 60-day injured list to make room for Matthews on the 40-man roster.
The injury to Meyers is another setback for the Astros, who were already without shortstop Jeremy Peña and slugger Yordan Alvarez because of injuries. Meyers has had a strong season and is hitting .308 with three homers and 21 RBIs.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Houston Astros second baseman Brice Matthews (28) throws to first base for a double play after forcing out Texas Rangers' Wyatt Langford at second base during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, July 11, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
Houston Astros second baseman Brice Matthews (28) stands ready during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Friday, July 11, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
Houston Astros second baseman Brice Matthews (28) throws to first base for an out during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Friday, July 11, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
Houston Astros' Brice Matthews takes his first Major League at bat during the second inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Friday, July 11, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
