Whistleblower: ICE memo allows home entry sans judge warrant (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: ICE agents are being told that they can enter people's homes without a warrant signed by a judge. That's according to an internal memo obtained by the Associated Press. We've seen these videos of tense doorway confrontations between immigration enforcement agents and people inside homes and buildings. And immigrant advocates have long advised individuals not to open their doors to authorities unless presented with a warrant signed by a judge. But this new memo will embolden agents to exercise sweeping new powers, potentially ramping up already tense interactions. The guidance, which dates back to May 2025, was part of a whistleblower complaint obtained by the AP. It authorizes immigration officers to forcibly enter and arrest individuals in their homes armed only with an administrative warrant if they have a final order of removal. Critics say this new guidance may violate Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizures.

[00:00:53] Speaker 2: This is a radical change in existing ICE policy. Look, longstanding policy and interpretation of the constitutional requirement was that you cannot forcibly enter a home without a warrant issued by a judge, a federal judge or a magistrate judge. This is just a form where they check a few boxes and fill out the name. So this is a shocking development. Obviously, they're going to face litigation quickly.

[00:01:14] Speaker 1: It is unclear how much the directive has been applied in operations, but the whistleblower complaint says its contents have been used to train new officers like those surged into cities in the current crackdown. A Trump administration official told CNN the directive is, quote, not a green light to randomly kick down doors with Vice President J.D. Vance acknowledging it will be a topic the courts will be weighing in on. Democrats have immediately sounded the alarm.

[00:01:37] Speaker 3: Americans should be terrified that this secret ICE policy authorizes agents to break down doors and ransack through their homes, arresting or detaining people without a judicial warrant. It is a blatant, craven violation of the Fourth Amendment, a bedrock protection for people in the privacy of their homes.