securing the premises

When the ICE agents crowded into our home, I asked to see the search warrant. The response? "Not until we secure the premises, Ma'am."

Neither my husband nor I have any history with the legal system. There was no reason to assume that an armed invasion of our home was necessary or that the Kevlar vests were necessary for the agents. A minor investigation would have shown that my husband is home alone during the day when I am at work and the kids are in school. Stopping him on his way to the mailbox or while he was mowing the yard would have been another way to serve the search warrant.

The premises were secure before they came in. After they came in with their guns drawn, that's when security vanished. What if one of the kids had done something stupid to protect the dog? What if my husband or I had done something stupid because I thought it was a home invasion instead by hoodlums instead of a legitimate police operation? I do not remember seeing any identification but if they had shown it to me, how was I to know if it was real or not? I wouldn't have any way to know. The chaos created by the armed invasion--the shouting, the rushing everywhere...that is exactly what would lead to someone doing something foolish and getting shot in the process.