Chicago Homeowner Sues Federal Government After Warrantless Raid by Immigration Agents

CHICAGO—Today, a Chicago homeowner filed a lawsuit against the federal government over a warrantless raid of his property by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents last October. The lawsuit, filed by Leo Feler and his attorneys from the Institute for Justice (IJ), seeks to hold the federal government and the individual officers accountable for violating Leo’s property rights. 

“When government agents storm someone’s property without a warrant and cause tens of thousands of dollars in damage, they must be held accountable,” said IJ Attorney Dylan Moore. “What happened to Leo is the exact type of warrantless government trespassing that the Fourth Amendment is meant to protect against.”  

• Case video here
• Ring footage here
• Complaint here

Last October, Leo hired a reputable contractor to replace windows and siding at his three-unit home in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. On Oct. 24, four workers who were hired by the contractor, not directly by Leo, were peacefully eating lunch outside Leo’s front door when two vans of masked, heavily armed agents came flying the wrong way down Lakewood Avenue. The agents had no warrant. Still, they poured out of their vehicles and began chasing the workers. Several workers who were outside Leo’s 6-foot fence went back inside and shut it behind them. The agents unsuccessfully attempted to break the lock on the fence. Undeterred, the agents jumped Leo’s fence and chased the workers through his property, including his private backyard, his balcony, and his detached garage.  

Leo was out of town at a work conference during the raid but noticed the commotion on his Ring cameras. Through the microphones on the cameras, Leo repeatedly told the agents they were trespassing and demanded they get off his property. Leo’s tenant, who was the only person home at the time, asked to see a warrant. The agents disregarded the pleas and continued chasing the workers through the property. Leo then rushed to the airport, skipping the marathon he had trained to run after his work meetings, and booked the next flight back to Chicago.  

“I was shocked and outraged when I saw these agents jumping over my fence, trespassing, and damaging my property without a warrant and without any valid reason,” said Leo. “Since the raid, it’s been difficult to feel secure in my own home, because if our government can do this without even being investigated, let alone held accountable, what prevents them from doing it again?” 

Three of the four workers managed to escape. The fourth—who was later released—was chased into Leo’s garage and detained. When agents dragged him to the front yard, a group of protesters began gathering. Despite having a clear path to exit, the agents deployed tear gas, which ultimately blew to a nearby playground.  

When all was said and done, the raid caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage to Leo’s property, including damage to fences, an air conditioning unit, and much of the construction equipment. 

Leo eventually returned home, where he found several puddles of blood and clear signs of damage. Ever since, Leo has felt insecure in his own home. He struggles to sleep and fears that any other workers he hires might be targeted in a future warrantless raid. This fear forced Leo to delay the renovations on his property for months.  

Through its Project on Immunity and Accountability, IJ seeks to ensure government officials are held accountable when they violate people’s constitutional rights. IJ is currently representing an Army veteran who was arrested and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for three days, a U.S. citizen who was detained multiple times by ICE while working on construction sites in Alabama, and a Georgia woman whose home was raided by a SWAT team that was looking for a man who had never been there—and who had already been arrested. This case is also part of IJ’s Project on the Fourth Amendment, which seeks to protect the right to be free from unconstitutional searches and seizures.