A federal judge in California has held the Department of Homeland Security in civil contempt of court for failing to comply with an order requiring it to forensically search and hand over personal mobile phone communications belonging to immigration agents involved in raids across Los Angeles. The ruling, made by US District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, marks a significant escalation in an ongoing legal battle over the conduct of federal immigration enforcement operations in the city, and underscores mounting judicial frustration with the agency's compliance with court oversight.

According to the unsealed order, dated 28 July, DHS had repeatedly delayed producing digital copies of communications from agents' personal cellphones despite being directed to do so months earlier as part of litigation over the legality of the Los Angeles sweeps. The judge found the agency's conduct amounted to contempt and imposed fines as a consequence, though the department has not publicly detailed how it intends to respond. The case forms part of a wider dispute over immigration enforcement tactics used in Los Angeles this year, which has drawn sustained scrutiny from the courts.