A Donna family took on the federal government. Agents came onto their land. Now the government wants a judge to throw the case out. It wants this before the case even gets a hearing.
The Garcia family says ICE agents showed up at their home in January. ICE stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Agents jumped the fence around the yard. They arrested both parents right there.
The family sued. They say the agents had no right to come onto their land that way. Their case asks a judge one thing. Did ICE break the law when agents jumped that fence?
Now the government wants that case dead. Its lawyers filed papers. They want the judge to toss the case before it goes any further. They say ICE did nothing wrong that day.
The government leans on one piece of paper. It is called an admin warrant. That name sounds like a real search warrant. But it is paperwork signed inside an immigration office, not a warrant a judge signs. The government argues that paper made it legal for agents to enter the yard, fence and all.
The Garcia family sees it another way. Their case challenges whether agents had permission to come onto their land the way they did.
The case is far from over. A judge still has to decide. Will the case get tossed, or will it move forward? If it moves forward, it could test something big. How far can ICE legally go on private land?
For now, the two parents from that January morning sit in a legal fight.
