Giovanni Sosa spent almost a month in the Dodge County Jail after being detained by ICE during what the agency referred to as a “targeted operation” in Milwaukee.
He had left his house to get a haircut and never came back.
ICE stated the operation was aimed at undocumented individuals with criminal records, but Sosa’s family maintained that this label does not fit him.
His immigration attorney noted that Sosa was targeted while waiting for his green card paperwork to be processed.
Thankfully, this ordeal has a wonderful ending! A federal immigration judge ultimately granted Sosa’s release on bond, and on July 25, 2026, he experienced a joyful, heartwarming reunion, finally arriving safely back home to his loving wife and sweet one year old baby.
What Are “Kavanaugh Stops”?
The term “Kavanaugh stop” describes an immigration enforcement practice where federal agents briefly detain individuals based on a combination of factors, such as perceived ethnicity, language, occupation, and location, to establish reasonable suspicion.
The precedent originated from a September 2025 Supreme Court order in the case Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo, which stayed a temporary restraining order that had previously prevented ICE from stopping individuals based on these factors.
In a concurring opinion, Justice Brett Kavanaugh argued that while apparent ethnicity alone cannot justify a stop, it can be considered a “relevant factor” when combined with other circumstances.
These combined circumstances, according to Kavanaugh, included a high number of undocumented immigrants in an area, gathering in certain locations to seek daily work, and employment in jobs such as day labor, landscaping, or agriculture.
The specific term was coined in late September 2025 by Drexel University School of Law professor Anil Kalhan, who used it to describe the encounters endorsed by the concurring opinion.
The Impact and the Reality of Racial Profiling
Three justices, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissented from the September 2025 Supreme Court order that allowed these enforcement tactics to resume.
Justice Kavanaugh claimed in his opinion that if a detained person is a U.S. citizen or legally in the country, they would promptly go free after the brief encounter.
However, news accounts and legal reports describe detentions of citizens and lawful residents lasting for hours or days.
According to a ProPublica investigation, within a month of the ruling, 170 U.S. citizens had been subjected to severe physical force by immigration agents, including being dragged, tackled, beaten, tased, and shot.
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Giovanni Sosa spent almost a month in the Dodge County Jail after being detained by ICE during what the agency referred to as a “targeted operation” in Milwaukee.
He had left his house to get a haircut and never came back.
ICE stated the operation was aimed at undocumented individuals with criminal records, but Sosa’s family maintained that this label does not fit him.
His immigration attorney noted that Sosa was targeted while waiting for his green card paperwork to be processed.
A federal immigration judge ultimately granted Sosa’s release on bond, and he was reunited with his wife and one year old baby on July 25, 2026.
What Are “Kavanaugh Stops”?
The term “Kavanaugh stop” describes an immigration enforcement practice where federal agents briefly detain individuals based on a combination of factors, such as perceived ethnicity, language, occupation, and location, to establish reasonable suspicion.
The precedent originated from a September 2025 Supreme Court order in the case Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo, which stayed a temporary restraining order that had previously prevented ICE from stopping individuals based on these factors.
In a concurring opinion, Justice Brett Kavanaugh argued that while apparent ethnicity alone cannot justify a stop, it can be considered a “relevant factor” when combined with other circumstances.
These combined circumstances, according to Kavanaugh, included a high number of undocumented immigrants in an area, gathering in certain locations to seek daily work, and employment in jobs such as day labor, landscaping, or agriculture.
The specific term was coined in late September 2025 by Drexel University School of Law professor Anil Kalhan, who used it to describe the encounters endorsed by the concurring opinion.
The Impact and the Reality of Racial Profiling
Three justices, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissented from the September 2025 Supreme Court order that allowed these enforcement tactics to resume.
Justice Kavanaugh claimed in his opinion that if a detained person is a U.S. citizen or legally in the country, they would promptly go free after the brief encounter.
However, news accounts and legal reports describe detentions of citizens and lawful residents lasting for hours or days.
According to a ProPublica investigation, within a month of the ruling, 170 U.S. citizens had been subjected to severe physical force by immigration agents, including being dragged, tackled, beaten, tased, and shot.
Reference Links:
