A CNN investigation looked deeper into an ICE deportation officer's recent firing and found he wasn't the only one breaking agency rules.
In May, Brent Oxley was fired for offenses including forging his supervisor's signature on arrest warrants for undocumented immigrants. Oxley challenged the decision and said he wasn't the only agent to improperly sign warrants.
Emails and ICE documents reportedly show Oxley was right. CNN reports some supervisors even gave officers pre-signed blank warrants, which may be illegal. But unlike Oxley, others reportedly got permission to sign in their supervisors' place.
A supervisor's signature is supposed to mean they have fully reviewed an arrest warrant and determined probable cause for a person to be deported, so this revelation could cause a uproar in the court system. Improperly signed warrants could mean migrants can challenge arrest orders at their immigration hearings.
But there's more to the story. According to CNN, emails showed officers and supervisors were "frustrated" with the warrant review process. Officers can only hold people for 48 hours without a warrant, and if a supervisor isn't available to sign a warrant before that time period is up, detainees have to be freed. Skipping the review process let agents hold immigrants longer than they would otherwise have been allowed to.
Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN.
