Updated Guidance on Encounters with Immigration Enforcement Officers

As encounters with immigration enforcement officers are becoming increasingly common across the United States, we have updated our Immigration Enforcement Toolkits to reflect changes in policies that may impact foreign nationals as well as US citizens. 

Notably, ICE has reportedly abandoned its long-standing policy of requiring officers to obtain a judicial warrant before conducting searches of private residences. According to an internal memo issued by ICE last year, the agency may now rely on an administratively-issued warrant issued by an employee of the agency itself to enter a home without the resident’s consent. The policy is likely to be challenged in the Federal courts as a violation of the 4th Amendment of the US Constitution, which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures.    

We have also added a new Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) addressing encounters with immigration enforcement for US citizens.