The March 14 directive, signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi, uses an obscure 18th-century law — the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 — to give law enforcement nationwide the power to bypass basic constitutional protections.
According to the memo, agents can break into a home if getting a warrant is “impracticable,” and they don’t need a judge’s approval. Instead, immigration officers can sign their own administrative warrants. The bar for action is low — a “reasonable belief” that someone might be part of a Venezuelan gang is enough.
The only time the Alien Enemies act should be used is in an extreme emergency: Say, for example, an orange man wanting to press a big red button to burn the world to cinders.
ICE, if it truly wanted to do things the right way, can do the ‘practicable’, by waiting for judges and their juries to render judgement. As we have clearly seen, ICE doesn’t measure up to even basic sense nor decency. Here’s hoping that ICE is broken by the people, for the people.