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happy feet

(1,266 posts)
Mon Jan 12, 2026, 03:30 PM Jan 12

From a commenter on Washington Post article concerning ICE

I thought some may find this interesting from a commenter on an ICE Washington Post article about the official role of ICE. The commenter replied to me with this "And if you check you will find every word of that corresponds with the current Federal law, regulations and guidelines regarding ICE agents. "

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It is a tragedy that so many Americans & commenters here feel free to express their opinions on this incident but are absolutely clueless about federal laws, law enforcement duties, procedures, and limits of authority with regard to ICE:

ICE agents ARE NOT police officers, deputy sheriffs, or troopers. They are not local/state law enforcement. They are not federal criminal law enforcement. They have an INCREDIBLY limited scope of authority, and that scope of authority exists in detaining and arresting with probable cause and/or SIGNED WARRANTS those investigated and suspected of being in the US illegally.

They cannot just pull anyone over for a traffic violation or because their car is in a place they don't want it. They have NO authority to pull people over for ANYTHING other than immigration enforcement- and even then that involves probable cause, such as a known vehicle of someone they have been tracking, or a warrant. On very rare occasions they have the legal authority to pull someone over if they are threatening the lives of others, but that was not happening in this case. They do not have the training nor the authority to pull ANYONE else over. They cannot arrest legal citizens. They cannot detain legal citizens without probable cause to believe they might not be legal. They have ZERO authority to be attempting to force entry into a vehicle- without even identifying themselves, without a warrant, without exigent circumstances such as a life being directly threatened- that is trying to drive down the street without probable cause in relation to IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT.

23 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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From a commenter on Washington Post article concerning ICE (Original Post) happy feet Jan 12 OP
Bravo Johnny2X2X Jan 12 #1
Have you been reading that subversive work called the Constitution? usonian Jan 12 #2
They may not have the right legally but no one seems willing or able to stop them. Biophilic Jan 12 #3
Often local LEOs encourage them. rubbersole Jan 12 #4
A post yesterday said the Minnesota state police association had come out publicly as pro ICE Biophilic Jan 12 #5
I was under the impression that the release was from The Fraternal Order of Police, Minnesota chapter. OldBaldy1701E Jan 12 #8
FOP is a bunch of White-wing Authoritarian Extremists. haele Jan 12 #10
Preach on! (n/t) OldBaldy1701E Jan 12 #13
You left out phone spammers genxlib Jan 13 #22
Bingo! Current practice is Do what you want until somebody stops you catrose Jan 12 #15
Rules for ICE maliaSmith Jan 12 #6
This was my point also, however I wasn't stating it as elegantly as this person does FakeNoose Jan 12 #7
It's those pesky Canadians sneaking k55f5r Jan 13 #20
Kick BlueWaveNeverEnd Jan 12 #9
They know that Trump will pardon them if they commit crimes. Lonestarblue Jan 12 #11
That' all well and good. But the author is ignoring the elephant in the room. progressoid Jan 12 #12
MAGAT's are so proud to be so fucking stupid it defies comprehension. NoMoreRepugs Jan 12 #14
They don't need the right if no one will enforce the law. Kablooie Jan 12 #16
Great post malaise Jan 12 #17
This is what I say every time I hear someone Hassler Jan 12 #18
The my pillow guy is running for MN gov kbowman Jan 13 #19
And ICE warrants are not judicial warrants. dalton99a Jan 13 #21
The problem is, whether or not ICE agents legally have the power to beat people up, shoot them, break down their doors Martin68 Jan 13 #23

usonian

(24,099 posts)
2. Have you been reading that subversive work called the Constitution?
Mon Jan 12, 2026, 03:46 PM
Jan 12

As I have stated before.

Laws that don't bring charges when broken, or which are not enforced, are merely recommendations.

It's sadly like the Bible. Many read it and redact the inconvenient parts, like so:

Biophilic

(6,469 posts)
3. They may not have the right legally but no one seems willing or able to stop them.
Mon Jan 12, 2026, 04:44 PM
Jan 12

They appear to be able to do anything they want with little or no push back. So why would they care what the law says. Our so called law enforcement people have failed us.

rubbersole

(11,110 posts)
4. Often local LEOs encourage them.
Mon Jan 12, 2026, 05:02 PM
Jan 12

Not all, but enough to let this nazi crap continue. It's looking like Minneapolis is the hill on which the feds plan to demonstrate their takeover of "law and order". tsf wants civil war and Minnesota looks good to him.

Biophilic

(6,469 posts)
5. A post yesterday said the Minnesota state police association had come out publicly as pro ICE
Mon Jan 12, 2026, 05:14 PM
Jan 12

I don’t know if that is real or not. But how utterly awful if it is true.

OldBaldy1701E

(10,629 posts)
8. I was under the impression that the release was from The Fraternal Order of Police, Minnesota chapter.
Mon Jan 12, 2026, 05:25 PM
Jan 12

But, there may be other capitulations going on out there.

haele

(15,188 posts)
10. FOP is a bunch of White-wing Authoritarian Extremists.
Mon Jan 12, 2026, 05:32 PM
Jan 12

And they always have been.
They don't care about any law or order unless it allows them to bust someone's head for lip like a 1930's depression era dock worker coming home from work.

maliaSmith

(171 posts)
6. Rules for ICE
Mon Jan 12, 2026, 05:16 PM
Jan 12

Obviously, they're breaking all the rules. Who will stop them when they're packing weapons, breaking into cars, houses etc., without warrents. Who will stop their lawless behavior.

FakeNoose

(40,705 posts)
7. This was my point also, however I wasn't stating it as elegantly as this person does
Mon Jan 12, 2026, 05:19 PM
Jan 12

ICE has one job ... to find and arrest illegal immigrants. That's it.

Why are ICE-goons crowding into Minnesota where there are almost no illegal immigrants to be found? They need to be down at the southern border, in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. That's their job, to protect the border. NOT strutting around as armed thugs threatening American CITIZENS in the northern, midwestern and eastern states.

k55f5r

(510 posts)
20. It's those pesky Canadians sneaking
Tue Jan 13, 2026, 12:02 PM
Jan 13

across the border to do work Americans won't do. Like tapping maple trees, and harvesting poutine.

Lonestarblue

(13,338 posts)
11. They know that Trump will pardon them if they commit crimes.
Mon Jan 12, 2026, 05:44 PM
Jan 12

That’s why we need state legal authorities to step up and prosecute some of these terrorists so Trump can’t pardon them for state convictions. Do Minneapolis police jot care that an ICE agent murdered one of the people they’re sworn to protect? A woman who was shot in the head at close range who was was no danger at all to the agent.

progressoid

(52,790 posts)
12. That' all well and good. But the author is ignoring the elephant in the room.
Mon Jan 12, 2026, 05:58 PM
Jan 12
No one seems to be enforcing the limits of authority on ICE.

They appear to be a lawless entity. They do as they please without consequence.

Kablooie

(19,075 posts)
16. They don't need the right if no one will enforce the law.
Mon Jan 12, 2026, 06:34 PM
Jan 12

They are totally free to harass anyone and violate any law because no one seems to have the authority to arrest or detain them.

kbowman

(18 posts)
19. The my pillow guy is running for MN gov
Tue Jan 13, 2026, 11:02 AM
Jan 13

This is probably part of the reason MN is in dump's crosshairs. They will do stuff like this to punish a blue state or try to flip it red.

Martin68

(27,311 posts)
23. The problem is, whether or not ICE agents legally have the power to beat people up, shoot them, break down their doors
Tue Jan 13, 2026, 03:03 PM
Jan 13

and arrest or imprison them without a warrant - the Trump administration's DOJ will back them up every single time. Unless and until we can get enough defections on the Republican side to start impeaching these insane criminals, we have little recourse other than to observe, record, and share what we witness.

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