Memo gives ICE troops permission to ignore US Constitution

"Federal immigration officers are asserting sweeping power to forcibly enter people's homes without a judge's warrant, according to an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo obtained by The Associated Press, marking a sharp reversal of longstanding guidance meant to respect constitutional limits on government searches. The memo authorizes ICE officers to use force to enter a residence based solely on a more narrow administrative warrant to arrest someone with a final order of removal,"

"a move that advocates say collides with Fourth Amendment protections and upends years of advice given to immigrant communities. The shift comes as the Trump administration dramatically expands immigration arrests nationwide, deploying thousands of officers under a mass deportation campaign that is already reshaping enforcement tactics in cities such as Minneapolis. For years, immigrant advocates, legal aid groups and local governments have urged people not to open their doors to immigration agents unless they are shown a warrant signed by a judge."

"The memo itself has not been widely shared within the agency, according to a whistleblower complaint, 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. New ICE hires and those still in training are being told to follow the memo's guidance instead of written training materials that actually contradict the memo, according to the whistleblower disclosure."

ICE issued a directive authorizing officers to use force to enter residences based on administrative warrants to arrest people with final orders of removal. The directive reverses longstanding guidance intended to respect constitutional limits on government searches and raises Fourth Amendment concerns. The policy shift coincides with a large expansion of immigration arrests and deployment of thousands of officers under a mass deportation campaign. Advocates, legal aid groups and local governments have warned residents not to open doors without a judge-signed warrant. A whistleblower says the memo was not widely shared but has been used to train new hires, and its application remains unclear.

Read at www.mercurynews.com