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Man restrained by ICE agents in Salt Lake City home, family questions warrantless entry

Jul 11, 2026 · Salt Lake City, UT

Man restrained by ICE agents in Salt Lake City home, family questions warrantless entry

Raul Moreno Meza, a middle-aged man living in Salt Lake City's Rose Park neighborhood, was restrained by ICE agents inside his home on July 7 after agents followed him from a gas station into his garage without announcing themselves as immigration officers, according to his daughter Elizabeth Garcia. Garcia, a U.S. citizen, filmed the incident in which agents also restrained her teenage brother while their family dog escaped. Garcia said her father has not left the U.S. in 22 years and that their grandfather, a U.S. citizen, petitioned for his legal residency before his death; the family hopes to complete that process. ICE stated Moreno Meza was granted voluntary return to Mexico for illegal entries, but Garcia disputes this account and says she is unaware of multiple entries. An attorney representing Moreno Meza argues that law enforcement cannot enter a home without a warrant except in special circumstances involving exigent danger, and that agents should have waited for him to exit or obtained a warrant.

Timeline

Jul 11, 2026Legal analysis notes courts have ruled ICE can only enter homes without a warrant in justifiable circumstances such as risk of public danger
Jul 10, 2026Viral video of the incident circulates, raising questions about whether agents had a warrant to enter the residence
Jul 7, 2026ICE agents followed Raul Moreno Meza from a gas station into his garage and restrained him and his teenage brother inside the home without announcing themselves as immigration officers; daughter Elizabeth Garcia filmed the incident

Sources

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