Sacramento immigration law firm says ICE agents threatened illegal search
A Sacramento immigration law firm says ICE agents arrived without a warrant, allegedly threatened to break in, and targeted their office based on a list of addresses
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
A Sacramento immigration law firm claims ICE agents arrived at its office without a warrant, threatened to break in, and targeted the firm based on a list of addresses allegedly linked to undocumented immigrants.
Employees at the Morris Law Group, which specializes in immigration law, said the agents arrived in unmarked cars, some without license plates and with dark-tinted windows, and were armed.
Attorney Raissa Morris, the head of the firm, said the agents came with a list of locations allegedly “housing undocumented immigrants in beds.” She believes the nature of her practice may have made her firm a target.
“My staff had told them, look, without a search warrant you’re not allowed to come through,” Morris said. “They said, ‘We want to walk through and make sure you guys don’t have any beds for clients we’re looking for.'”
Morris was not present during the incident but said she received a call from her staff, who reported that an agent with a Homeland Security badge was in the lobby.
“They told my staff they have a list from Washington, D.C., with my address as my clients’ mailing address, and they were looking for certain clients,” Morris said. “They assumed my clients were living in my office?”
According to Morris, one of the agents threatened to return if the firm did not comply.
“I don’t want to come back at 3 a.m. and break in and look for these people if we want to,” Morris said the agent told her staff.
Morris expressed concerns about broader enforcement tactics under the current administration.
“Under the current administration, we’ve seen them breaking into places. We’ve seen them detain U.S. citizens. Killing; there’s been deaths, right?” she said.
The Morris Law Group assists clients with obtaining citizenship, including asylum seekers and crime victims, who are legally allowed to use the firm’s address as a safe mailing address.
“Personally, it’s a tactic to scare us immigration attorneys,” Morris said. “From taking cases, keeping us from doing our work.”
A neighboring dental office employee, Tanya Villa, witnessed the incident and shared her concerns.
“Sure enough, you could see agents standing right in front of the practice,” Villa said.
Villa, who is a U.S. citizen, said the situation left her feeling uneasy.
“I know I’m a U.S. citizen. I was born here. But that fear just came over me and I cannot imagine what people are feeling that are here undocumented,” she said.
Morris emphasized her commitment to upholding the law and continuing her work.
“We do have a Constitution and as an attorney, I took an oath to the Constitution and I believe the courts will follow,” she said.
Morris stated that if ICE agents return, they will need a search warrant signed by a judge. The firm has reached out to ICE for clarification on the operation and the alleged threat but is still awaiting a response.
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