Maine’s largest professional organization of lawyers on Friday condemned the activity of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents this week, saying it “appears to violate fundamental constitutional principles.”
The Maine State Bar Associations listed among its concerns: warrantless entry into private homes, warrantless arrests and detentions; “profound” deficiencies in training, supervision and accountability; racial and ethnic profiling; the use of masks or other measures by federal agents to hide their identities; and the use of “surges” in regions of the country thought to be politically opposed to the current administration, which suggests “selective, retaliatory or politically motivated” enforcement.
“Of particular concern is ICE’s apparent lack of consistent, rigorous training of ICE agents on constitutional requirements, limits on federal immigration authority, and the lawful use of force,” the association said.
Acting without an understanding of constitutional rights, the association said, “predictably results in unlawful conduct, violence, and the erosion of public trust. These outcomes are not aberrations; they are the foreseeable consequences of inadequate preparation and oversight.”
An internal ICE memo obtained by the Associated Press showed that the federal immigration agents assert that they can forcibly enter people’s homes without a judge’s warrant, in a sharp reversal of longstanding guidance meant to respect constitutional limits on government searches.