The Trump administration is using a law against impeding federal law enforcement to threaten and arrest people who are recording and protesting immigration officers. However, an unprecedented number of those cases are falling apart once they go to court, according to media investigations, think tank reports, and voluminous court records and video evidence.
The Cato Institute published a report on Monday detailing dozens of instances of federal immigration officers threatening people with arrest for following and recording them, which is protected under the First Amendment. The report, authored by David Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, follows a December 4 memo by Attorney General Pam Bondi ordering federal law enforcement to prioritize alleged "domestic terrorism." Among the acts Bondi defines as domestic terrorism are "doxing" and "conspiracies to impede or assault law enforcement."
