Immigrants often don’t open the door to ICE, but that may no longer stop officers

Since coming to the United States from Mexico three decades ago, Fernando Perez has never answered his door when immigration officers knocked. Like many immigrants, he follows what has become common knowledge in communities across America: don’t open the door unless officers show a warrant signed by a judge.

“There are rules and I know them,” said Perez, who spoke from a Home Depot parking lot where he regularly seeks work as a day laborer.

This long-established practice, rooted in Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure, has forced Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to make arrests in public, often after hours of surveillance waiting for targets to leave their homes.

But a significant policy shift may upend this status quo. An internal ICE memo obtained by The Associated Press reveals that immigration officers can now forcibly enter homes without a judge’s warrant, representing a dramatic departure from decades of practice that could fundamentally alter how immigration enforcement operates in American communities.

The directive comes amid soaring immigration arrests under President Donald Trump’s administration, which has promised mass deportations and is already reshaping enforcement tactics in cities across the country.

For Perez, who has experienced immigration officers visiting his home numerous times over the years, this change crosses a line. “If they are going to start coming into my home, where I am paying the rent — they are not paying the rent — that’s the last straw,” he said.

Traditionally, most immigration arrests have been carried out under administrative warrants issued by immigration authorities themselves. These documents authorize an arrest but have not permitted officers to enter private spaces without consent. Only warrants signed by independent judges have carried that authority — a distinction that has been fundamental to “know-your-rights” guidance provided to immigrant communities for decades.

Evidence of the new approach has already emerged. AP witnessed ICE officers ramming through the front door of a Liberian man’s home in Minneapolis on January 11 with only an administrative warrant. The officers wore heavy tactical gear and had rifles drawn.

The policy shift has alarmed lawmakers. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut has demanded congressional hearings and called on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for an explanation. “Every American should be terrified by this secret ICE policy authorizing its agents to kick down your door and storm into your home,” Blumenthal said.

For years, immigrants have evaded arrest by staying home for days until agents move on. A senior ICE official once compared the surveillance experience to “watching paint dry,” highlighting the inefficiency of traditional enforcement methods. The agency has previously attempted “knock and talks” to persuade residents to step outside, sometimes misrepresenting themselves as other officials, but a federal judge found this practice illegal in 2020.

The new policy appears designed to accelerate enforcement to fulfill the administration’s promises of mass deportations, but experts warn of serious risks.

Since ICE’s creation in 2003, advocacy groups and immigrant-friendly governments have diligently taught communities not to open their doors for immigration officers without a judicial warrant. This advice has become foundational in immigrant communities, spread through training sessions, flyers, social media videos, and even school bulletins.

“Know-your-rights trainings have included that information for decades and even people who are only minimally aware of their rights learn that because it’s sort of the first and foundational elements of Fourth Amendment law,” said Ahilan Arulanantham, co-faculty director of the UCLA Law School’s Center for Immigration Law and Policy.

Trump’s border czar Tom Homan has criticized these educational efforts, saying: “They call it ‘know-your-rights.’ I call it ‘how to escape arrest.'”

According to the memo, immigration officers can now forcibly enter homes to arrest immigrants with final removal orders using only administrative warrants. While officers must first knock, identify themselves, and provide occupants a “reasonable chance to act lawfully,” they can use force to enter if compliance isn’t forthcoming.

Legal experts and law enforcement professionals warn this approach could lead to dangerous confrontations. With stand-your-ground laws in many states, residents have the right to shoot intruders. This could result in officers being shot or agents firing on residents who grab makeshift weapons to defend themselves. The risk is compounded by ICE records that sometimes contain incorrect addresses, potentially leading to agents entering homes of U.S. citizens by mistake.

Arulanantham sees this policy as part of a troubling trend that accelerated after the Supreme Court lifted a lower court’s order in September that had barred federal agents in the Los Angeles area from indiscriminately stopping people based on race, language, occupation, or location.

“This would just be another step down that path,” he said. “Obviously it will be more significant because it suggests you’re not safe even in your own house.”