ICE’s Shocking New Orders For Masked Goons Exposed
As Trump promises to “de-escalate” in Minnesota, ICE has been given even more power.
Critics say Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued orders authorizing its agents to arrest “whoever they see fit,” according to an internal memo.
The New York Times obtained the memo, sent on January 28 by ICE’s acting administrator, Todd M. Lyons, to all ICE employees. It authorizes lower-ranking agents to decide whether or not to arrest anyone suspected of being an undocumented immigrant, without a warrant.
These new powers stand in stark contrast to President Trump’s public statements about the need to “calm” the situation in Minnesota, where ICE and Border Patrol agents have faced fierce opposition following the deaths of two U.S. citizens, killed by federal agents during anti-ICE protests in January.
The memo also contradicts the announcement by ICE Border Administrator Tom Homan that he is working on a “withdrawal plan” to reduce ICE operations in the state.
The new directive is based on a broad interpretation of a federal law that authorizes immigration officers to arrest anyone suspected of being an undocumented immigrant without a warrant, “if they have reason to believe that the person apprehended… is likely to flee before a warrant is obtained.”
This law has long been interpreted as giving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) the power to arrest any undocumented immigrant without a warrant if the person is deemed “likely to flee”—that is, likely to evade arrest before a warrant is obtained.
However, the new directive stipulates that an officer can arrest anyone if they believe that person is likely to immediately resist arrest upon contact.
“The term ‘flee’ implies immediacy, and its apparent meaning is ‘to escape by fleeing,’” Lyons’s memo states. “The likelihood that the alien will remain at the scene of the apprehension is determined based on all the circumstances known to the immigration officer at the time of the apprehension and prior to the arrest.”
Lyons explains that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can consider anyone a “flight risk” if they refuse to comply with lawful orders, are in a vehicle they are capable of driving, are in good health, or possess identification or work permits that an immigration officer suspects are falsified.
Claire Trickler-McNulty, a former ICE advisor, told The Times that this new definition constitutes “an extremely broad interpretation of the term ‘flight risk.’”
She added, “This definition will allow anyone to be arrested without a warrant, making obtaining a warrant completely unnecessary.” “
Scott Shukart, former ICE policy official under the Biden administration, confirmed that this directive effectively gives ICE agents the green light to arrest whomever they please.
He stated, “This directive gives ICE agents carte blanche to make any arrest without the approval of their superior.”
Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin downplayed the implications of the new memo to the Times, stating, “It’s simply a reminder to agents to keep detailed records of the arrests they make.”
