WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., is demanding answers from the Department of Homeland Security after whistleblowers disclosed a new policy that would let immigration agents forcibly enter homes without a judge’s warrant to carry out arrests.

In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Blumenthal said an “anonymous” disclosure to his office revealed a May 12, 2025, memo from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The ICE document instructs officers they may arrest people with final orders of removal inside their residences by relying on Form I-205 — an administrative warrant signed by immigration agents or deportation officers. The approach departs from long-standing rules, which generally require a judicial warrant executed by a judge.

“Every American should be terrified by this secret ICE policy authorizing its agents to kick down your door and storm into your home,” Blumenthal said in a statement. “It is a legally and morally abhorrent policy that exemplifies the kinds of dangerous, disgraceful abuses America is seeing in real time.”

The memo, signed by acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, acknowledges DHS has not historically relied on administrative warrants alone to make arrests inside homes but says new guidance from the department’s lawyers concluded there is no legal prohibition on doing so. A copy of the memo, which was provided by Blumenthal, could not be independently verified.

“Every illegal alien who DHS serves administrative warrants/I-205s have had full due process and a final order of removal from an immigration judge. The officers issuing these administrative warrants also have found probable cause,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in an emailed response to questions on Wednesday. “For decades, the Supreme Court and Congress have recognized the propriety of administrative warrants in cases of immigration enforcement.”

The memo is addressed to “All ICE Personnel.” It directs officers to knock and announce their identity before entering a residence and allows the use of a “necessary and reasonable” amount of force if entry is refused. It outlined a series of exceptions, such as emergencies or hot pursuit.

Blumenthal demanded records showing how widely the memo has been shared, how often Form I-205 has been used to enter residences since January 2025, what litigation DHS faces over Fourth Amendment claims, and the legal opinion behind the policy.

The dispute comes as ICE has expanded immigration enforcement in U.S. cities since President Donald Trump returned to office, deploying large numbers of agents across the country and enlisting some local police forces to help. The stepped-up campaign has drawn protests and scrutiny from civil-rights groups over tactics such as masked agents grabbing people off the streets. In recent weeks, Minneapolis has become a focal point of protests after an officer shot and killed U.S. citizen Renee Good.

The administration has defended the crackdown, saying it’s focused on arresting people who entered the country illegally and prioritizing those with criminal records.

DHS and ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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