ICE agents are “authorized” to forcibly enter homes without a court order

Published at: 22/01/2026 12:20 PM

According to an internal memorandum from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of the United States (USA), agents of this repressive body are authorized to enter by force and without the approval of a judge into homes where they suspect that foreigners with a deportation order reside.

The document, obtained and reviewed by international media and authorizing officers to use force to enter a residence, is based solely on an administrative order to arrest someone, and represents “a drastic change” in current legal regulations, which impose constitutional limits on police procedures to prosecute and arrest people suspected of staying in the country without legal documentation.

Activists and human rights defenders described the measure as illegal, because it contradicts the citizen protections established in the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and disrupts years of advice given to immigrant communities to safeguard their security.

Meanwhile, immigrant advocates, legal aid groups and local governments urged citizens to refrain from opening the doors of their homes to immigration agents, unless they are shown an order signed by a judge. This advice stems from Supreme Court rulings, which generally prohibit law enforcement from entering a residence without judicial approval.

Mazo News Team