HOUSTON, United States

A federal court on Tuesday ordered the US Border Patrol to stop conducting illegal stops and warrantless arrests in the state of California, which have led to a civil liberties lawsuit.

The ruling came in response to a three-day immigration sweep in January near Bakersfield, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) north of Los Angeles, in which day laborers and farm workers, including a US citizen, were arrested in a Home Depot parking lot without reasonable suspicion, according to multiple media outlets.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit saying the illegal raids violated the constitutional rights of those who were rounded up by agents.

"You just can’t walk up to people with brown skin and say, 'Give me your papers,''' US District Court Judge Jennifer Thurston said in court. "The evidence before the court is that Border Patrol agents under DHS (Department of Homeland Security) authority engaged in conduct that violated well-established constitutional rights."

Thurston then issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the Border Patrol from taking similar actions and restricted federal agents from stopping people unless they have a reasonable suspicion that the person is violating US immigration laws.

The judge's ruling also prohibits the Border Patrol from carrying out warrantless arrests unless agents have probable cause that the person is likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained.

The ACLU filed the lawsuit on behalf of the United Farm Workers, arguing that the Border Patrol stops violated the US Constitution's Fourth Amendment, which bars illegal searches and seizures.

"I think that it’s pretty clear that half of a century of really established law is being upheld. It’s unfortunate that this is a cause for celebration. It’s not legal to snatch people off the street for looking like farm workers or day laborers," said Elizabeth Strater, a national vice president at the United Farm Workers.

According to sworn declarations from workers who were detained during the raids, Border Patrol agents slashed tires, yanked people out of trucks, threw people to the ground and called farmworkers "Mexican bitches."

The judge's ruling allows the ACLU to bring a class-action lawsuit against the federal government for conducting the illegal raids. Thurston is also requiring the Border Patrol to submit detailed documentation of any stops or warrantless arrests.

"This sends a powerful message that the raids the Border Patrol conducted...were illegal," said Bree Bernwanger, senior staff attorney at the ACLU Foundation of Northern California.

"You cannot be pulled over and grabbed on the street because of the color of your skin," she said. "Border Patrol is going to be held accountable for those practices and for violating people's rights."