1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to take immediate action against Immigration and Customs Enforcement's unconstitutional policy of forcibly entering homes without judicial warrants. An internal ICE memo dated May 12, 2025, and signed by acting director Todd Lyons, authorizes officers to use force to enter residences based solely on administrative warrants. This directly violates Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures that apply to all people in this country. For years, Supreme Court rulings have established that law enforcement generally cannot enter a home without a warrant signed by a judge. ICE's own historical guidance respected this constitutional limit. Now, according to a whistleblower complaint filed by Whistleblower Aid on behalf of two government officials, new ICE officers are being trained to follow this memo's guidance even though it contradicts written Homeland Security training materials that emphasize Fourth Amendment compliance. The consequences are already devastating. On January 11, 2026, ICE officers rammed through the front door of Garrison Gibson's Minneapolis home with rifles drawn and heavy tactical gear, holding only an administrative warrant. Administrative warrants are internal documents that authorize arrests but do not permit forcible entry into private spaces. Only judicial warrants carry that authority. The memo has been kept secret within the agency, shown only to select officials who were required to read and return it without taking notes. This secrecy suggests ICE leadership knows the policy cannot withstand public or legal scrutiny. Lindsay Nash, a law professor at Cardozo School of Law, stated the memo "flies in the face" of Fourth Amendment protections with "enormous potential for overreach, for mistakes" with "very, very serious consequences." I urge you to demand ICE immediately rescind this directive, conduct oversight hearings, and pursue legislation that defunds enforcement tactics that violate constitutional rights. The Fourth Amendment exists to protect all of us from government overreach. This policy must end now.