VP Vance Baselessly Asserts ICE Agents "Absolutely Immune" for Murder
NEWS & RESEARCH
There has been a significant rise in shooting fatalities by federal enforcement authorities since the start of 2026, including two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis during large-scale immigration operations. Despite Trump administration claims that agents were acting in self-defense, bystander videos and legal challenges increasingly disprove official accounts of these deadly encounters.
SOURCE: PBS
ANALYSIS & OPINION
Legal experts are pushing back against Vice President JD Vance’s claim that an ICE agent who fatally shot a Minneapolis woman is protected by "absolute immunity," asserting that a federal agent is only immune if a judge determines the officer's actions were objectively reasonable under the circumstances. Nonetheless, any civil action under current law would face high burdens of proof and government assertions of qualified immunity.
SOURCE: CNN
HOW TO FIX IT
Legislation:
S.3186 - Constitutional Accountability Act: Holds law enforcement agencies liable for violations by employees
H.R.6091 - Bivens Act of 2025: Provides civil remedy for individual whose rights were violated by a person acting under Federal authority
S.4973 - No Kings Act: Clarifying that no person is above the law, including presidents
States can model on enacted Illinois law S.B.2729 - The Illinois Bivens Act, which permits individuals to sue federal agents for constitutional violations during immigration enforcement
Universal Constitutional Remedies Act: Proposed law that would allow individual to sue federal, state and local officials for federal constitutional violations
