#Maine - What we can VERIFY about the rights of business owner
#ICE agents need one of two things in order to enter private areas of a business: Permission from an employee, or a warrant from a court.
By Emery Winter
Published: 3:21 PM EST January 28, 2025
Updated: 5:13 PM EST January 29, 2025
"In the first days of his second term, President Donald Trump has issued a number of executive orders designed to ramp up immigration arrests. During his campaign, Trump promised to launch a mass deportation effort. Recent #ICERaids have led some people to wonder whether agents can freely enter backrooms, kitchens, offices or other areas of a business not generally open to the public.
"A business has the right to prohibit ICE agents from entering private areas of the business. The exception is if the agents have a judicial warrant signed by a judge, but even those don’t give ICE agents blanket permission to search wherever, whenever and whomever they like.
"Anyone, ICE agents included, can enter public areas of a business without permission, according to the National Immigration Law Center (#NILC). Public areas include anywhere customers are allowed to be, such as the business’s parking lot, lobby or waiting area, or the dining area if the business is a restaurant. That does not include offices, kitchens or other areas usually off limits to customers.
"Being in a business’s public area does not give ICE the authority to stop, question or arrest just anyone, the NILC says. That still requires a warrant or cause.
"There are two types of warrants ICE agents may use when conducting enforcement actions at a business: #AdministrativeWarrants or #JudicialWarrants.
"Oftentimes, ICE agents will have an ICE administrative warrant. Administrative warrants are issued by a federal agency such as the Department of Homeland Security (#DHS) or ICE itself, and will be signed by an immigration officer such as an ICE agent or immigration judge, according to the Project South Institute for the Elimination of Poverty and Genocide."
Read more:
https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/verify/immigration/employers-workplace-ice-raid-rights-fact-check/536-b0f053fb-ac49-4680-b414-61c375bdc852
#NewMainers #Immigrants #ImmigrantRights #KnowYourRights #ICEAgents #USPol #MainePol #MaineImmigrantAndRefugeeServices
