Arrest of Garrison Gibson, a Liberian man arrested in Minneapolis, may have been a ‘blatant violation’ 

The attorney for Garrison Gibson, the 37-year-old Liberian man who was arrested by ICE in Minneapolis on Sunday, speaks out. 

The arrest of a Liberian man by ICE agents in Minneapolis, after they arrived at his door heavily armed and used a battering ram, may have been a “blatant violation.”

Garrison Gibson, the 37-year-old man seen in gut-wrenching footage on the news and Facebook Live being forced out of his home in handcuffs on Sunday as his family and neighbors watched in horror, had been regularly checking in with federal authorities, and the agents allegedly lacked a proper warrant.

Speaking to ABC News, Gibson’s attorney, Marc Prokosch, said, “This was an illegal search, absolutely.” In an interview with Fox 9, the lawyer added, “Any American should be terrified by that because that is such an egregious violation of the Fourth Amendment.”

Prokosch explained that agents arrived with only an administrative warrant, which authorizes someone’s arrest but does not allow officers to forcibly enter a private home. Forced entry requires a criminal warrant signed by a judge.

Gibson, who fled the Liberian civil war as a child, had been ordered removed from the U.S., reportedly due to a 2008 drug conviction that was later dismissed by the courts, ABC reported. However, he had remained in the country legally under what’s known as an order of supervision, which required him to meet regularly with immigration authorities. Gibson had reportedly checked in with officials just days before the high-profile arrest.

In a statement to the outlets, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Gibson had “a lengthy rap sheet,” but did not clarify whether any of the charges were connected to his arrest. According to Fox 9, court records do not show any of the charges as being committed in Minneapolis.

Shortly after his arrest, Gibson was flown to Texas by immigration authorities, then quickly returned to Minnesota on a judge’s order after his lawyer filed a habeas corpus petition, a legal action used by courts to determine whether an imprisonment is lawful. The courts have not yet ruled on the petition.

Prokosch also described how distraught Gibson’s wife, Teyana Gibson Brown, was at the time of the arrest. She was inside the home along with the couple’s 9-year-old child.

During the scene, which unfolded only days after ICE agents shot and killed Renee Good, a U.S. citizen in the same city, many neighbors and activists gathered outside, shouting, blowing whistles, and banging drums in an effort to disrupt the raid. In some of the footage, activists can be seen being wrestled to the ground as agents escorted Gibson away.

Gibson is currently being held at an immigration detention center in Albert Lea, Minnesota, and a judge has ordered that he not be moved while DHS has been given additional time to respond to the allegations before a final ruling is made on Gibson’s habeas petition. McLaughlin said Gibson will “remain in ICE custody until his removal proceedings.”