IJ Challenges Warrantless CBP Raid

IJ client Leo Feler owns a Chicago triplex. He lives in one part of the home and rents the others to tenants. In fall 2025, he decided to replace the windows and siding on his home. Unbeknownst to Leo, the federal government viewed that decision as an open invitation to rampage through his property without a warrant. 

Leo hired a large, reputable contractor to complete the renovations. That contractor hired a subcontractor, who in turn hired four construction workers to complete the job. Leo did not know the contractors or workers personally, but like anyone doing home renovations, he trusted them to do the work even while he traveled for a business trip. 

During his trip, Leo received an unexpected notification from his Ring doorbell. He checked the app, and what he found horrified him. The live feed showed masked, armed U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers jumping over Leo’s spiked front gate, chasing the workers through his property, climbing onto his second-story balcony, storming his private garage, and damaging his possessions along the way. 

Three of the workers got away, either by running on the sidewalk away from Leo’s house or by entering Leo’s home. The fourth was not so lucky. He ran into Leo’s garage, where an agent caught up to him, threatened to pepper spray him, and arrested him. 

Throughout the raid, Leo’s tenant—the only resident home at the time—repeatedly demanded to see a warrant. The CBP officers ignored her. Leo used his security cameras’ built-in microphones to tell the officers they were trespassing on his property and to leave. They ignored him, too. 

The United States later admitted that the CBP officers had no warrant. The government has offered no evidence that the CBP officers even knew who the workers were. Yet the officers still chose to invade Leo’s home. The ordeal left Leo with thousands of dollars’ worth of damage, puddles of an injured worker’s blood, and a severe sense of insecurity on his property.

The Fourth Amendment was ratified to prohibit warrantless searches like this one. No homeowner should have to live in fear that the federal government will raid their house just because they hired a construction crew to renovate it. 

That’s why, in July, Leo and IJ filed a federal lawsuit to ensure that officials who violate the Fourth Amendment’s command can be held accountable. The federal government can enforce immigration laws, but it cannot do so in a manner that violates the Fourth Amendment rights of homeowners like Leo. We will continue fighting until courts recognize that no federal official is above the Constitution.