{"id":658924,"date":"2026-02-19T00:31:34","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T05:31:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wvmetronews.com\/?p=658924"},"modified":"2026-02-19T09:02:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T14:02:36","slug":"wv-federal-judges-stop-ice-overreach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wvmetronews.com\/2026\/02\/19\/wv-federal-judges-stop-ice-overreach\/","title":{"rendered":"WV federal judges stop ICE overreach"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the primary motivations for the American Revolution was the hated \u201cwrits of assistance.\u201d\u00a0<\/a> These were open-ended powers for British customs agents to search homes, shops, and properties.<\/p>\n

Founding Father James Madison wrote that when colonists began to challenge the warrantless searches and seizures, \u201cAmerican Independence was then and there born.\u201d\u00a0 Madison\u2019s passion for protecting individuals from government overreach inspired the Fourth Amendment<\/a> to the U.S. Constitution, which protects individuals from unreasonable searches and requires probable cause for warrants to be issued. The subsequent Fifth Amendment<\/a> guaranteed due process for detained individuals.<\/p>\n

These standards are bedrock principles of American democracy that have stood since they were ratified in 1791, but they are now being tested in West Virginia and across the country with the wholesale roundups being conducted by agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).<\/p>\n

Fortunately, U.S. District Court judges here have so far held true to the Constitution, while questioning the government\u2019s tactics. \u00a0As our Brad McElhinny reported<\/a>, \u201cFederal judges in West Virginia have questioned whether law enforcement had probable cause for the initial (traffic) stops in immigration cases that led to jail and the courtroom.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the case of two non-citizens stopped along I-77 last month, Judge Joseph Goodwin wrote,<\/a> \u201cnotably, the record contains no information regarding the justification of the initial traffic stops conducted by the state police.\u201d<\/p>\n

In that case and others, the government was consistently unable to show why individuals were taken into custody.\u00a0 Federal Judge Irene Berger wrote<\/a> in one case, \u201cEveryone in the United States is potentially at risk if officers are free to detain and incarcerate people without having to justify detention.\u201d<\/p>\n

That sentiment was echoed<\/a> by federal Judge Thomas Johnston in another case. \u201cIf the government may simply seize someone without due process, there is no check on its ability to seize anyone.\u201d\u00a0 He went on to write, “The law is clear: all persons present within our country are entitled to due process.”<\/p>\n

Yes, the individuals in these cases entered the country illegally, but that typically is a matter of civil and not criminal enforcement unless there are outstanding criminal warrants.\u00a0 In the West Virginia cases that came before the courts, the individuals were cooperating with the U.S. immigration system and had hearings pending.<\/p>\n

The hearings before the West Virginia judges have resulted in the individuals who were arrested and detained being released.<\/p>\n

The American ideal, codified in the Bill of Rights and reinforced by over two centuries of practice, begins with a guarantee of liberty and protections for individuals\u2014including non-citizens\u2014from government overreach. Even someone in the country illegally enjoys the benefits of due process.\u00a0 The U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld<\/a> that right.<\/p>\n

Immigration is a mess.\u00a0 The law is unwieldy, and the system is overwhelmed. Polls consistently show Americans want a secure border and for criminals in this country to be expelled.\u00a0 However, those goals cannot be achieved by trampling on fundamental rights.<\/p>\n

In cases so far, U.S. District Court Judges in West Virginia have held true to Madison\u2019s principle and stood as a bulwark against the modern-day version of \u201cwrits of assistance.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the primary motivations for the American Revolution was the hated \u201cwrits of assistance.\u201d\u00a0 These were open-ended powers for British customs agents to search homes, shops, and properties. Founding Father James Madison wrote that when colonists began to challenge the warrantless searches and seizures, \u201cAmerican Independence was then and there born.\u201d\u00a0 Madison\u2019s passion for<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,823],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-658924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hoppys-commentary","category-metronews-commentary"],"yoast_head":"\nWV federal judges stop ICE overreach - WV MetroNews<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/wvmetronews.com\/2026\/02\/19\/wv-federal-judges-stop-ice-overreach\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WV federal judges stop ICE overreach - WV MetroNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"One of the primary motivations for the American Revolution was the hated \u201cwrits of assistance.\u201d\u00a0 These were open-ended powers for British customs agents to search homes, shops, and properties. 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