Crossing the border illegally is a federal crime via 8 USC 1325. 5 year statute of limitation for first time offense. Overstaying a visa is a civil offense. Being unlawfully present in the U.S. is a civil offense. But none of these semantics matter, because any of the above can result in ICE detention. There is no requirement under US law that an alien must have a criminal record before being detained by ICE. There never has been. ICE also does not need a judicial warrant to make arrests. (Unless they’re entering private property like a home). All they need is reasonable suspicion that an alien is unlawfully present in the country. Bottom line, all aliens who violate US immigration law are subject to ICE arrest and detention. This is how the law has been for decades.

Living in Los Angeles during COVID was quite the trip. Solo paddleboarders being arrested in Malibu w/ beaches closed and police patrolling the sand. Sand being poured into skate parks in Venice. An unelected, non-medical "Dr." Barbara Ferrer calling the shots. Banning OUTDOOR dining, including forcing restaurants to turn their TVs off - then later admitting they had no medical evidence to support it. Vaccine mandates to enter establishments. All while they were falsely inflating COVID-19 hospitalization data in local hospitals to justify the the panic, not differentiating who was hospitalized with COVID, or for COVID. If you broke your leg and tested positive for COVID, even with no symptoms, you were counted as a COVID hospitalization in Los Angeles County. Those numbers were used to impose the lockdowns and strict rules. So many businesses never recovered. Below are a couple photos of two memorable photos I snapped in Santa Monica in March 2020 when the beaches were closed - not a single person was on the sand despite being a beautiful day, and police were actively patrolling the area to make sure nobody was on the sand or in nearby parks. Crazy in hindsight.

NEW: DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin & Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) already tangling in Senate hearing. Murphy used his opening statement to say DHS is violating the law and Constitution every day. Mullin responds: "You're looking for soundbites, you weren't even looking at me, you were looking at the camera...the outlandish claims you made are flat out wrong...we're enforcing the laws Congress passed. What's unconstitutional? For you to throw my 275,000 employees under a broad stroke like t hat is reckless and irresponsible."