New ICE Guidance Sparks Fury as Immigrant Advocates Slam 'Lawless' Warrantless Raids
The Trump administration's latest memo has sent shockwaves through immigrant communities nationwide, allowing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to forcibly enter homes without a judge's warrant.
According to an internal memo obtained by the Associated Press, ICE officers are now instructed to use force to enter private residences based solely on administrative warrants, which do not require judicial approval. This decision has been met with fierce criticism from immigrant advocates in Chicago and beyond.
"We have seen this administration try to bend and twist existing laws to their advantage," said Fred Tsao, senior policy counsel at the Illinois Council of Immigrant and Refugee Rights. "But what's troubling is that they're now violating longstanding constitutional standards."
The Fourth Amendment, which protects all residents from illegal searches and seizures, regardless of immigration status, has been called into question by advocates. Kevin Fee, legal director of ACLU of Illinois, notes that previous cases of federal agents breaking into homes to detain individuals without warrants are "flatly inconsistent" with the Constitution.
This new guidance comes as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to expand immigration arrests nationwide, deploying thousands of officers under a mass deportation campaign. The deployment of 3,000 federal agents in Minneapolis has raised concerns about law enforcement tactics and their impact on local communities.
For years, immigrant advocates have urged people not to open their doors to immigration agents unless they are shown a warrant signed by a judge. However, with this new memo, that advice is being undermined at a time when arrests are accelerating under the administration's crackdown.
The memo itself has not been widely shared within the agency, but its contents have been used to train new ICE officers who are being deployed into cities and towns to implement the president's immigration crackdown. Advocates warn that this shift will likely meet with legal challenges and stiff criticism from advocacy groups and immigrant-friendly state and local governments.
As one activist put it, "We still have to educate our communities regarding how they can best defend themselves... We still have to hold out on the possibility that there will be accountability one day."
The Trump administration's latest memo has sent shockwaves through immigrant communities nationwide, allowing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to forcibly enter homes without a judge's warrant.
According to an internal memo obtained by the Associated Press, ICE officers are now instructed to use force to enter private residences based solely on administrative warrants, which do not require judicial approval. This decision has been met with fierce criticism from immigrant advocates in Chicago and beyond.
"We have seen this administration try to bend and twist existing laws to their advantage," said Fred Tsao, senior policy counsel at the Illinois Council of Immigrant and Refugee Rights. "But what's troubling is that they're now violating longstanding constitutional standards."
The Fourth Amendment, which protects all residents from illegal searches and seizures, regardless of immigration status, has been called into question by advocates. Kevin Fee, legal director of ACLU of Illinois, notes that previous cases of federal agents breaking into homes to detain individuals without warrants are "flatly inconsistent" with the Constitution.
This new guidance comes as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to expand immigration arrests nationwide, deploying thousands of officers under a mass deportation campaign. The deployment of 3,000 federal agents in Minneapolis has raised concerns about law enforcement tactics and their impact on local communities.
For years, immigrant advocates have urged people not to open their doors to immigration agents unless they are shown a warrant signed by a judge. However, with this new memo, that advice is being undermined at a time when arrests are accelerating under the administration's crackdown.
The memo itself has not been widely shared within the agency, but its contents have been used to train new ICE officers who are being deployed into cities and towns to implement the president's immigration crackdown. Advocates warn that this shift will likely meet with legal challenges and stiff criticism from advocacy groups and immigrant-friendly state and local governments.
As one activist put it, "We still have to educate our communities regarding how they can best defend themselves... We still have to hold out on the possibility that there will be accountability one day."
this is getting super concerning - all these 'lawless' raids are basically an attack on our rights as a society. like, what's next? warrantless stop-and-frisks or something? 
i feel for these immigrant communities who are already living with so much uncertainty and fear. can't we just have some basic respect for the law? 
it's not that hard to get a judge's approval before busting into someone's home... seems like a huge overreach to me. 
ICE agents already doing enough harm in 1st place. now dey get free rein 2 do whatever? its not like law enforcement was ever really about protecting ppl, its more about control & power 
gotta ask, who r these new officers supposed 2 protect? immigrant communities dont feel protected by this 
this is so messed up... i mean, i understand that security is a thing and all but come on, no warrants? that's just crazy talk. i don't want some immigration cop bursting into my home uninvited, that's just harassment. and what's with the "lawless" comment? doesn't that sound like a total cop-out? they're just trying to push their agenda without anyone checking them for it. 
! like what's next? them just gonna barge into ur house and take u away 4 no reason whatsoever?? i'm all 4 immigrant rights, but dis is just crazy 
. we need to make sure our voices r heard and our reps are held accountable 4 these actions. the constitution ain't 2 be trifled with, fam 
. this is a major step back 4 our country, and i'm not gonna stand 4 it without a fight 
.
. I don't know about you guys, but wouldn't it be nice if we could trust our law enforcement to follow due process? Apparently, they need a memo to tell them to do that... this is just so concerning 
.
the aclu and other orgs are already speaking out against this move and i gotta say i agree w/ them. can't believe we live in a time where our gov is more concerned w/ deporting ppl than with protecting our rights as citizens 
no way is this acceptable we gotta stand strong and support our communities!!! 
. I mean, who needs a warrant, right? It's not like you're hiding any incriminating evidence in your basement or something. And now they're training these officers to use force, because sometimes just politely explaining that you don't want to be deported isn't enough 
.
. Maybe someone will finally make some sense out of this mess... but until then, I'll be over here with my door locked and my " ICE agents go away" sign firmly in place 
just saw this news about ICE's new memo and I'm FREAKING OUT 
. And don't even get me started on how this affects our communities...it's not just about the immigrants, it's about everyone who lives in fear of being targeted by these agents 
. Can we please get a judge's warrant before someone gets busted? 
They're already violating constitutional standards and now they're undermining the advice of experts to not open your door to immigration agents unless you have a warrant 
signed by a judge 
. It's like they want to create chaos in immigrant communities 
. The ACLU is already speaking out against this lawless behavior 
, and I'm sure there'll be plenty of other organizations and advocates who will join the fight 
and support each other in these uncertain times 
. The fact that these "agents" are being trained on this memo is just a big joke, right? I mean, who wouldn't want to learn how to break into someone's home without a warrant? 
it's not like we have any trust issues with the government already...
i'm pretty sure i'm going to start making those at home. anyway, back to this ICE stuff... I mean, can't we all just get along?