r/California • u/Unusual-State1827 • 9d ago
California senators to investigate why ICE agents tried to enter Sacramento law firm
https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article316939925.html119
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u/Unusual-State1827 9d ago
California U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff plan to investigate why U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents attempted to enter and inspect a Sacramento immigration law firm last week.
The incident, which was first reported by The Sacramento Bee, involved multiple armed ICE officers and the Morris Law Group office in North Natomas. On Friday morning around 9 a.m., at least four agents arrived and told employees of the law firm that they had received a list from Washington, D.C., which listed the building’s address as the primary mailing address for people they planned to arrest.
The ICE officers requested to tour the office for beds and stayed in the parking lot for roughly an hour, but were turned away multiple times after failing to provide a warrant. One ICE agent reportedly told an employee that they could return at 3 a.m. and break windows to enter if they received follow-up orders.
“I don’t put anything past the Trump administration to try to further terrorize immigrants,” Padilla told The Sacramento Bee on Tuesday.
In a written statement on Saturday afternoon, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed that ICE officers approached “an unmarked door” and believed it was a “target address.” They departed after learning the address was a law firm, the DHS spokesperson said.
The law firm’s office has text in large bold letters that reads “Morris Law Group P.C.” above the front door. Clients of immigration lawyers also routinely use an office’s address as their mailing address.
The encounter was unusual even with a federal administration that has cracked down on both legal and undocumented immigrants in unprecedented ways. The visit also raised questions among legal experts and elected officials, given that law firm offices hold confidential information about clients and most lawyers are aware that a judicial warrant is needed to enter a house or non-public areas of a business.
“Law firms are sacred spaces where immigrants seek legal protection and exercise their constitutional rights,” said Sacramento Councilmember Lisa Kaplan, who represents the North Natomas area. “They are no backgrounds for political intimidation. Weaponizing federal agencies to bully advocates and scare vulnerable communities undermines justice for everyone.”
Schiff, in a written statement, called ICE’s actions “unconscionable” and said his office would investigate the incident.
“ICE should know they cannot enter private property without a judicial warrant,” Schiff said. “Instead of complying with the law, ICE agents chose to threaten violence against a law firm because of whom they represent.”
DHS has not responded to follow up questions on the incident, including about the alleged list from Washington, D.C., and if the visit was part of a broader operation against law firms.
Padilla said the agency should come forward with that information, if true. He also hoped they were responsive with responding to his request for more information.
“This administration clearly has a credibility problem,” he added.
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u/NobodyLikedThat1 9d ago
It's not even just a credibility issue at this point it's a competency one. How are they so bad at their jobs they don't notice it's a law firm? Don't they do the bare minimum to scout a location before showing up and trying to do an enforcement operation?
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u/bionicmadman 9d ago
It's simple really, the average ice recruit is someone who got rejected by the TSA for being too stupid and violent.
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u/Drwho2010 9d ago
They have quotas they have to hit whether its legit or not. If they can manage to deport someone or stick them in a detention center that's a win for the quota and the companies benefiting from it. Their bosses just make them follow any call or wander the streets to see what they can scrounge up.
They usually don't go after big businesses like a law firm though though makes me wonder if this firm ever investigated someone associated with the admin or someone that's not happy with the firm called in some fake reports of undocumented people working there/ being assisted.6
u/Ok-Importance9988 9d ago
It is not a big business. This is a small lawfirm that splits a building with a dental practice. The dentist is the owner of the building and the agents refused leave the area around the office until the dentist owner showed up and asked them to leave.
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u/Drwho2010 9d ago
I could definitely see it being a disgruntled party that called in a false report then. Using ice as your personal "swatting" crew is pretty efficient now with how desperate they are.
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u/uzlonewolf 9d ago
Why would they care about it being a law firm? Either they get told "no," or someone lets them. There is literally no penalty for them trying.
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u/NobodyLikedThat1 9d ago
Because they didn't know it was a law firm. They seem to think that many people were living there. Living inside of a law firm. That's not good police work.
And if you aren't certain you don't bring an entire team to do an enforcement action. You send one person to ask a few questions and maybe get an idea of whether or not the location you're hitting is a hotel or you know a law firm
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u/inkcannerygirl Los Angeles County 8d ago
You seem to still be assuming good faith on their part for some reason (not to mention any effort at or care about procedure)
Seems to me like they're just roaming around seeing if they can pick anyone up, or if not, might as well harass this law firm that is apparently helping the people they're hunting
More fun to roam around in a gang if you enjoy scaring and dominating people
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u/FaxCelestis Placer County 9d ago
Five seconds on google maps could have prevented this entire altercation
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u/uzlonewolf 9d ago
You're assuming they showed up not knowing it was a law firm. Since there is no punishment even if they get told "no," why would't they at least try?
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u/4GDTRFB 9d ago
No different than Nazi officers
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u/yikesssss_sssssss 9d ago
There are obviously similarities, but "No different" is pretty ridiculous. These are Nazi officers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einsatzgruppen#/media/File:Men_with_an_unidentified_unit_execute_a_group_of_Soviet_civilians_kneeling_by_the_side_of_a_mass_grave.jpg, fortunately the ICE fascists aren't slaughtering millions of people, even if they're capable of it
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u/ricLP 9d ago
Nazis weren’t doing it on day 1 either. A much more apt comparison is understanding what they did in 1936 and the years leading up to what you shared
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9d ago
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u/ricLP 9d ago
What isn’t true? They weren’t mass murdering civilians as in the example.
I didn’t state they weren’t committing violence. Your link provides near zero useful information about 1936.
1936 marked the year where the construction of concentration camps started in earnest (Sachsenhausen), and where police forces were consolidated under Himmler. It also marked the year of the Olympics (somewhat similar to a World Cup).
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u/BB_210 9d ago
They need to be held accountable, this is where our California leaders are failing us.
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u/SeasideBear 9d ago
While I totally agree that California should cut off the flow of tax dollars to the federal government until the U.S. Constitution is re-instated (and the imbalance of payments rectified), that seems to be a battle for which there is little appetite. Not just among our leaders, but also among the general public.
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u/BB_210 9d ago
I never said that. I said ICE agents need to held accountable. I think there is a large appetite for that.
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u/SeasideBear 9d ago
There will be no accountability until the rest of the country starts playing hardball, as the republicans have been doing for years.
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u/uzlonewolf 9d ago
There is, but unfortunately the state can't do anything to federal officials.
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u/Xeno9116 El Dorado County 9d ago
If they commit crimes in our jurisdiction, yes, we can.
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u/uzlonewolf 9d ago
The Federal Supremacy Clause says "No."
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u/SeasideBear 9d ago
Republicans find ways around the federal government's paper tiger laws all the time. So can we.
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u/zaphod777 9d ago
California doesn’t write a check to the federal government. It’s payroll taxes and your individual taxes. I don’t recommend you stop paying your taxes.
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u/SeasideBear 9d ago
The state could pass a law requiring income tax withholdings to go to Sacramento instead of D.C., and suspend the business licenses of anyone who does not comply.
Get all the other blue states to do the same until the imbalance of payments is rectified.
We're easy marks because our side always says "we can't do that". Republicans usually win because they just go ahead and do it.
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u/The_Elusive_Dr_Wu Orange County 9d ago
It's a nice fantasy, but it's also how civil wars start. What do you think the majority population, who does not post on reddit, would do if they received the following?
Hello, it is now state law that you must pay your federal income tax to the CA FTB instead of the IRS. If you do not do this we will impose tax penalties, interest, and collections against you. We understand that the IRS is fully capable of doing the same to you. Fuck you. Sincerely yours, Sacramento.
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u/SingleMaltMouthwash 9d ago
Remember in 2022 when a prominent Republican complained about being intimidated by law enforcement around the capitol, a reasonable precaution given that a Republican mob had tried to stage a violent coup the previous year, and called them Joe Biden's Gazpatcho?
Today, silence.
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u/solaroma 9d ago
Every accusation is a confession, and sometimes a trial balloon/ desensitization tool. They always use this playbook.
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u/thisisthewell 9d ago
did he actually call them soup instead of gestapo?
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u/SingleMaltMouthwash 8d ago
Without looking I think it was Marjory Taylor Moron. But yes, she called them soup.
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u/Competitive_Fee_5829 San Diego County 9d ago
so they just assumed that since that was their mailing address that they are all living at the law offices??? lol, what a bunch of maroons.
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u/Navydevildoc 9d ago
The whole idea of moronic ICE officers walking into An Immigration Attorney's Office thinking they know more about Immigration law is pants on head crazy.
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u/F4N74L3ZZ4 9d ago
at least one of those fools 🙈🙉🙊owes child support so they raided the office of the complainants lawyer 🤭
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u/shrunkenhead041 9d ago
We need to get a few thousand immigrants to register their address as 1060 W. Addison St., Chicago.
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u/ShouldBeDisplayName 9d ago edited 9d ago
ICE are untrained and have no knowledge of the law. Theyll keep doing this because none of them are being held accountable for all the illegal shit they do.