ICE Memo: Agents Can Enter Homes Without Judicial Warrant
Teyana Gibson Brown, second from right, wife of Garrison Gibson, reacts after a federal immigration officer used a battering ram to break down a door before arresting Garrison Gibson, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Federal immigration officers are asserting broad authority to enter homes without a judge-signed warrant, according to an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) memo obtained by the Associated Press. The guidance marks a significant shift from longstanding policies designed to respect constitutional limits on government searches.
The memo allows ICE agents to use force to enter a residence based solely on an administrative warrant to arrest someone with a final removal order. Advocates say the move conflicts with Fourth Amendment protections and overturns years of advice aimed at protecting immigrant communities.
The policy change comes as the Trump administration expands immigration arrests nationwide, deploying thousands of officers in a mass deportation campaign that is already changing enforcement tactics in cities such as Minneapolis.
For years, immigrant advocates, legal aid groups, and local governments have advised people not to open their doors to immigration officers without a judicial warrant. That guidance is based on Supreme Court rulings that generally prevent law enforcement from entering a home without judicial approval. The ICE directive contradicts that advice just as arrests under the administration’s immigration crackdown are accelerating.
According to a whistleblower complaint, the memo has not been widely distributed within ICE, but its instructions are being used to train new officers who are sent to cities and towns to implement the president’s immigration policies. New hires and those still in training are reportedly told to follow the memo, even when it conflicts with official training materials.
It remains unclear how widely the directive has been applied. The AP reported witnessing ICE officers breaking into the Minneapolis home of Liberian resident Garrison Gibson, who had a 2023 deportation order. Agents were in heavy tactical gear with rifles drawn, operating under an administrative warrant rather than a judge-approved one. Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that everyone served with an administrative warrant has already received “full due process and a final order of removal.”
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