New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took to Twitter Thursday morning to advise people of their rights after President Donald Trump's administration promised ICE raids would commence Sunday. Trump had stated the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel would begin raids previously, but temporarily postponed them.
Representative Ocasio-Cortez tweeted:
"ICE will launch raids across 10 major cities this SUNDAY."
"Check your neighbors & know your rights."
"Remember: no one can enter your home without a *judicial warrant.*"
"Sometimes ICE will try to show other papers to get in your house. Judicial warrants are from a court."
She added a link to a previous Twitter thread that included videos and a website for people to get information about their rights under the US Constitution.
Despite what some people claim...
...many of the United States Constitutional protections apply to all people within the United States, not just citizens, born or naturalized. Tourists, resident aliens, foreign students on student visas and even those who are in the country without the proper documentation have rights under the Constitution.
One of those rights that apply to all are the protections offered by the Fourth Amendment.
It states:
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
The Supreme Court has ruled those portions of the Constitution that do not specify application to only citizens apply to all people within the United States.
People responded to the House member's post with helpful comments like:
But were called out rather quickly.
Aside from those flinging rhetoric from MAGA rallies and Fox News pundits like Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham at AOC, other people were horrified by the Trump administration's policy targeting only certain immigrants. As of this writing, no plans to target the undocumented immigrants of European origin in the United States have been announced.
An estimated 579,000 Europeans are living in the United States without proper documentation. A further 2.5 million are from the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.
No efforts to target those populations have been made so far.
If you want to learn more about the US Constitution, the book How to Read the Constitution--and Why is available here.
To learn more about the Bill of Rights, the book The Know Your Bill of Rights Book: Don't Lose Your Constitutional Rights--Learn Them! is available here.
If you're interested in educating your children about their rights, the book I Know My Rights: A Children's Guide to the Bill of Rights and Individual Liberty, is available here.
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