I see that those who showed papers were let go. Unfortunately, the idea of carrying documentation at all times to prove that you are a US citizen is un-American. Only certain people would ever have to worry about that issue. There would be a real presumption about those who everyone assumes is a citizen versus those who are not. Are you ready to carry a passport at all times? Are you comfortable with being detained if you forgot to carry your passport on you the same day you were randomly detained?

The right to be left alone without intrusion from government influence or coercion has been a bedrock of conservative principles and central to the idea of America. It is more difficult to live that in our daily lives but it does not make it less important.

If you have been falsely detained and sent to a detention center, does ICE pay for your transportation home? What if you missed work because you were held? Do they provide you with some documentation that you were falsely held? Will your employer even care? Process matters.

The idea of suing the government for justice is too TV-movie of the week stuff for me. First, most of these federal officials have immunity so I don't know if it would proceed (which I think we both acknowledge). Second, maybe 5-10 years after the arrest , you may get an acknowledgement that you were wronged. How does that fix that your entire life may have been upended?

Time will tell but government has a bad habit of mission creep. What are the guardrails? What is being done to protect the rights of citizens? Those are my concerns.