Officials in Santa Ana – Orange County’s only Sanctuary City – are joining a federal lawsuit challenging the ICE raids across Southern California and federal immigration officers conducting warrantless stops and arrests. 

The lawsuit also accuses federal immigration enforcement agencies like ICE of using excessive force and racially profiling people. 

“By joining this lawsuit, the city stands in solidarity with neighboring jurisdictions to challenge enforcement actions that undermine public trust and violate due process. Respecting constitutional rights is not optional — it is fundamental to good governance and community safety,” reads a Tuesday evening news release.

Department of Homeland Security officials deny the allegations, saying the deportation sweeps are carefully targeted. 

On Tuesday, Santa Ana City Council members voted 6-0 behind closed doors to join a lawsuit spearheaded by the ACLU and immigration rights advocacy groups accusing federal immigration enforcement agencies like ICE of making unconstitutional arrests.

City Councilwoman Jessie Lopez was absent from the meeting but previously told Voice of OC she supports joining the lawsuit.

[Read: Questions Continue Mounting Over ICE Raids in Orange County]

Tuesday’s decision comes days after a federal judge last Friday temporarily blocked the Department of Homeland Security from detaining people in Southern California solely based on their race, language or occupation.

[Read: Federal Judge Orders Immigration Agents to Halt Stops Based on Race]

The temporary restraining order covers the U.S. Central District of California, which includes the counties of Orange County, Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino and Riverside. 

Department of Homeland Security officials have denied using racial profiling tactics amid the sweeps.

“America’s brave men and women are removing murderers, MS-13 gang members, pedophiles, rapists—truly the worst of the worst from Golden State communities,” department spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a Saturday email to the Voice of OC.

“Law and order will prevail.”

Data from the Department of Homeland Security shows an overwhelming majority of the nearly 3,300 people detained in California are considered “no ICE threat.” 

As of June 23, 84% of people – 2,748 detainees – are listed as no threats. 

On Friday, the U.S. District judge also ordered federal officials to give detainees access to legal representation through lawyer visits and confidential phone calls with attorneys.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed supporting documents in the lawsuit after the City of Los Angeles and a host of other LA county joined the lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, alleging they were using racial profiling tactics.

“Their sweeping stops of Angelenos, based not on any evidence of wrongdoing but instead on racial profiling, is flagrantly unconstitutional. Los Angeles cannot be expected to live like this, with many residents afraid to leave their homes and their civil rights under fire.,” Bonta said in a Friday news release. 

Santa Ana’s Tuesday night news release also said much of the deportation sweeps are based on racial profiling. 

“The lawsuit seeks to prevent the federal government, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), from conducting unconstitutional and unlawful stops, round-ups, and raids without reasonable suspicion or probable cause, often based solely on perceived ethnicity.” 

Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.