ICE

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo obtained by The Associated Press reveals that the agency allows immigration officers to forcibly enter homes to make arrests without a judicial warrant. This change reverses previous guidance and raises concerns about constitutional protections against illegal searches. The memo, signed by ICE's acting director, states that administrative warrants are sufficient for forced entry if there's a final order of removal. This policy could face legal challenges and criticism from advocacy groups. Whistleblower Aid, representing two government officials, describes the directive as seemingly unconstitutional and a significant shift in arrest powers. The Associated Press obtained the memo and whistleblower complaint from an official in Congress.

The shooting of a Minneapolis woman and mother was the focus of protest events in Southwest Florida.

The government's focus on perceived illegal immigration has reached a new high as over 65,000 people are being held in ICE Detention Centers, surpassing previous records.

A report released Wednesday by Amnesty International alleges cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment at two immigration detention centers in Florida: The Everglades Detention Facility (“Alligator Alcatraz”) in eastern Collier County and the Krome North Service Processing Center ("Krome") in Miami.

A federal judge in Florida wants civil rights attorneys and lawyers for the U.S. and Florida to hammer out a settlement in a lawsuit over whether detainees at an immigration center in the Everglades are getting adequate access to attorneys. At a Monday status hearing, U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell set a conference for Dec. 16-17 in her Fort Myers courtroom. The lawsuit filed by detainees over legal access is one of three federal cases challenging practices at the immigration detention center known as "Alligator Alcatraz." It was built this summer by the administration of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Seven years ago, during the first administration of President Donald Trump, children were taken from their families the moment they crossed the border into the United States. Under a policy of zero tolerance for illegal crossing, Customs and Border Protection officers detained adults while children were sent into the federal shelter system. The aim: to deter other families from following. But after widespread public outcry and a lawsuit, the administration ended it. Today, family separations are back, only now they are happening all across the country.

Free bus rides have been offered to out of town grocers after Immokalee lost its only full-service grocery store in October.

An immigration support group was warning people Wednesday morning to avoid Immokalee after a number of people were reported to have been taken off a work bus in the area. The Facebook warning from Unidos Immokalee urged people to not “Enter or leave Immokalee. Do not depart Immokalee.”

Residents of all ages gathered at Fort Myers City Hall to remember those who died while held in ICE detention centers.

Thousands of immigrants have been transferred from jails and prisons across Florida into ICE facilities since President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. The tool behind this pipeline is called a detainer: a request by the federal agency to state and local law enforcement to hold individuals who are not U.S. citizens for up to 48 hours past their scheduled release for possible detention and deportation.