Andrew Wimer

Eric Andre’s Warrantless Search Was No Joke

Parents of Portland teen mistakenly detained at gunpoint last spring sue police The federal lawsuit, filed this week, stems from a May 2025 police operation near Deering High School.

In America, police can’t treat an innocent teenager walking near school like an armed threat over a minor theft.

And once officers realize they’ve detained the wrong person, the Constitution requires them to let him go immediately.

FBI raid at Idaho horse track shows how immigration is a top focus across law enforcement A recent FBI-led raid at an Idaho race track shows how immigration is driving federal law enforcement under the Trump administration.

what’s unfolding in Minneapolis follows a pattern, but it’s fundamentally untrue that chaotic raids are only in blue areas that won’t work w/ICE

Agents in a FBI/ICE/local operation in Idaho violently detained citizens, broke car windows over kids & zip-tied a 14YO girl apnews.com/article/immi...

Leo is a U.S. citizen. They tackled him. They handcuffed him.
They ignored his REAL ID.
Weeks later, he was detained again.

Now, represented by IJ, Leo is fighting back, because if Americans must follow the law, the government must follow the Constitution.

More here: ij.org/case/alabama...

Federal Agents Are Violating the Rights of Americans ICE and the National Guard are acting with impunity.

Today, @anneapplebaum.bsky.social with @theatlantic.com talks to @ij.org client George Retes about his ICE arrest and detention. A timely discussion about federal law enforcement: www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/202...

YouTube video by Institute for Justice Innocent Teen Jailed 2 Years Over Cop's Lies

An innocent teen spent years in jail because a St. Paul detective lied to protect her witness in a bogus investigation. @ij.org has been fighting for justice for years and hasn't given up yet.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLp_...

Follow @ij.org and @kinger-dc.bsky.social, @pjaicomo.bsky.social, and @jaredmcclain.bsky.social for more updates on these and other cases.

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Martin v. United States - Institute for Justice FBI agents raided the wrong home in suburban Atlanta. Now the federal government refuses to compensate the victims even though Congress passed a law permitting suits for damages caused by federal empl...

5) The Martin family won their case at the Supreme Court, reviving their lawsuit against the FBI over a wrong-house raid. But whether they can get their case to a jury now hinges on an appeals court in Atlanta. Argument in early March. ij.org/case/martin-...

DEA and TSA Airport Forfeitures - Institute for Justice Retired railroad engineer Terry Rolin’s life savings were seized by the government, but he hasn’t been charged with any crime. Now he and his daughter are working with IJ to get his money back and fig...

4) Flying domestically with any amount of cash is legal, but the TSA and DEA treat innocent Americans like criminals and take their money without cause. A major hearing on the class action against abusive airport forfeitures will be held in early February. ij.org/case/dea-tsa...

Alaska Excessive Fines - Institute for Justice Ken Jouppi, a longtime Alaska bush pilot, is fighting the forfeiture of his plane over a six-pack of beer.

3) We’re asking the US Supreme Court to put weight behind the Constitution’s prohibition on excessive fines. Can the state take a whole plane over a six-park of beer? We’ll know in the next few weeks if they decide to hear the case. ij.org/case/alaska-...

Norfolk, VA Camera Surveillance - Institute for Justice Norfolk, Virginia has installed more than 170 cameras across the city that watch drivers' every movement. Now, two Norfolk-area residents have teamed up with the Institute for Justice to file a federa...

2) Our case against Norfolk, VA’s mass surveillance. Many cities are purchasing automated license plate readers that monitor innocent drivers. Can cities see your driving history without a warrant? ij.org/case/norfolk...

Alabama Construction Site Raids - Institute for Justice Leonardo Garcia Venegas is an American citizen twice detained by immigration agents in warrantless raids on private property. So, Leo has partnered with the Institute for Justice to file a federal cla...

In the coming weeks, a federal district court will consider whether it should immediately halt warrantless, suspicionless enforcement actions on private construction sites. ij.org/case/alabama...

Welcome to 2026, here’s 5 @ij.org cases to watch this year. First up, our case against 4th Amendment violating immigration enforcement in Alabama.

Once again, DHS is lying about our client.

If George "assaulted law enforcement," they would've charged him with something during the 3 days he was detained.

They released him without charges. That doesn't happen if you assault someone.

My more than 100-day streak was broken on a Christmas Day because I forgot to try.

Now IJ is asking #SCOTUS to take up the case. When government officials serve themselves, breaking the Constitution and the law, people deserve justice.

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Shannon sued over the false arrest, pressing state and federal claims. The 5th Circuit gave the detective immunity saying that his actions "fell within the heartland of his role as a detective."

The conflict of interest doomed the case. After a lunch break, the prosecutors asked the case to be dropped "in the interest of justice." The charges against Shannon were also dropped.

In the trial for Shannon's bouncer, this "special relationship" between the detective and the neighboring business came to light. Here's the transcript: ij.org/wp-content/u...

That detective had worked for years for a business right across the street from the bar. That business had long wanted to see the bar shut down.

The officers assigned to the case did not press charges, but a Dallas detective in another department inserted himself into the investigation. He convinced prosecutors to charge Shannon and the bar's bouncer with "tampering with evidence."

One night, there were shots fired outside the bar. Shannon and his employees called the police and collected the shell casings. A few days later, the police came out and he handed the casings over.

Shannon runs a bar in north Dallas, The Green Elephant. It's well known as a home for underground music and has been beloved by generations of SMU students.

Here's a link to the petition: ij.org/wp-content/u...

NEW CERT PETITION: Shannon McKinnon was charged with a felony. But the case fell apart when it turned out the detective was secretly working for the complainant in the case. @ij.org is working to revive Shannon's lawsuit after the cop was given immunity. 🧵

Constitutional rights shouldn’t depend on a person's ability to pay.

That's why, at IJ, we never charge our clients a dime.

❤️ Join our fight for freedom and justice today: https://ij.org/monthly

Attacks on the Press, Venezuela, and Epstein A recording from Katie Couric's live video

Thanks to @katiecouric.bsky.social for having @ij.org attorney Jaba on to talk about our cases on behalf of citizens wrongly detained by immigration agents. Watch the interview here: katiecouric.substack.com/p/attacks-on...

YouTube video by Institute for Justice ICE Raid Mistake: American Vet Jailed for Days

This is George Retes' story of being arrested and held for three days without any communication. He was let go without ever being told what crime he had been accused of and missed his daughter's 3rd birthday. Please watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y91V...

Border Patrol is monitoring US drivers and detaining those with 'suspicious' travel patterns The U.S. Border Patrol is monitoring millions of American drivers nationwide in a secretive program to identify and detain people whose travel patterns it deems suspicious.

Every American should know what it happening: apnews.com/article/immi...

You are not paranoid. You are being watched. And police may pull you over for almost nothing if automated cameras flag you as suspicious. When @ij.org client Alek Schott sued a Texas county over an unconstitutional traffic stop, we had no idea what we had uncovered. @apnews.com story below.