A new internal ICE memo authorizes federal immigration officers to forcibly enter people's homes using only administrative warrants to arrest individuals with final deportation orders, a significant reversal of longstanding guidance that traditionally required a judge's warrant and raising serious Fourth Amendment concerns.
Federal immigration officers are now asserting sweeping power to forcibly enter people’s homes without a judge’s warrant, according to an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) memo obtained by The Associated Press. This directive marks 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 (I-205) to arrest someone with a final order of removal. Advocates argue this collides with Fourth Amendment protections and upends years of advice given to immigrant communities, who were previously urged not to open doors without a judge-signed warrant. The shift comes as the Trump administration expands immigration arrests nationwide. A whistleblower complaint reveals the memo, dated May 12, 2025, and signed by Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, has not been widely shared but is being used to train new ICE officers, contradicting existing written training materials. The AP witnessed ICE officers, with only an administrative warrant, ramming through the front door of a Liberian man's home in Minneapolis. The memo claims the DHS Office of the General Counsel determined that relying on administrative warrants for this purpose is constitutional, without detailing the legal basis. Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin stated that individuals with administrative warrants have already had "full due process and a final order of removal," and that officers find probable cause for arrest. However, she did not address questions about the frequency of home entries based solely on administrative warrants. Legal experts and advocacy groups anticipate strong legal challenges, emphasizing the potential for overreach and serious consequences. This new policy fundamentally alters immigration enforcement tactics, challenging established civil liberties and judicial oversight.
