JUDGE, JURY, EXECUTIONER
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On Wednesday morning, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers raided a dairy farm in the small upstate city of Rome, New York. When property owner John Collins asked to see a warrant, the officers refused his request and continued their raid, arresting one of Collin's employees anyway. Here's what you should know about the incident.

ICE Had Information About An Undocumented Immigrant Living And Working On Collins' Farm

Marcial DeLeon Aguilar, an employee of John Collins, lives on the farm with his wife, Virginia Morales, and their four children. ICE had information that said Aguilar, originally from Guatemala, was not only undocumented, but had illegally re-entered the US after previously being deported.

[Syracuse.com]

At Least 7 ICE Officers Raided Collins' Property, Ignored His Request For A Warrant, And Treated Both Him And Aguilar Violently

While ICE officers rarely obtain the judge-signed warrants used by police officers to search private property, they do typically write and sign their own type of warrant. These ICE warrants allow officers onto private property with the owner's permission. There has been no evidence that the officers conducting Wednesday's raid had either type of warrant, which would make the raid illegal.

[Syracuse.com]

Once on the property, ICE acted aggressively toward both Collins and Aguilar:

Collins said he heard a commotion inside his milk house Wednesday morning, and ran inside, where he found Aguilar pinned against a window by armed agents… When he tried recording the detention with his phone, an officer allegedly tossed his phone into the road and put him in handcuffs, threatening to arrest him for interfering with an investigation. The agents removed the handcuffs before taking Aguilar away. 

[Daily Beast]

Collins said this happened in front of Aguilar children, who were waiting for the school bus.

[Syracuse.com]

Watch Collins' Raw, Emotional Testimony Of The Incident Here:

 

[Syracuse.com]

Next, Aguilar Will Go To Trial

Aguilar has been officially charged with the crime of re-entering the country illegally after having been deported. This means instead of being sent to immigration court, where he likely would not have had a lawyer, Aguilar will appear in criminal court, where he will have a lawyer provided for him. That lawyer will be able to question the legality of ICE's warrantless raid, which may help Aguilar avoid deportation.

[Syracuse.com]

If Aguilar Is Released, The Case May Spark A Discussion Like The One After A Illegal 2017 ICE Raid In Oregon

In October, 2017, video surfaced of a trio of ICE officers arresting a man in a Portland, Oregon home. On camera, the agents were pressed for a warrant, which they did not present. The man who was arrested, Carlos Bolanos, was later released from ICE's custody.

The incident began a conversation around ICE's power and abuse of power, and ultimately elicited a response from the state's Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley:

In their letter to Elizabeth Godfrey, a deputy field office director for ICE, Mr. Wyden and Mr. Merkley wrote that people "do not lose their constitutional protection from warrantless search and seizure simply because ICE believes they may be immigrants."

[New York Times]

In the meantime, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has already weighed in on the story in her home state, suggesting "an immediate investigation" take place.

 

<p>Joey Cosco is Digg's Social and Branded Content Editor</p>

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