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The Editorial Board

By The Editorial Board

The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values. It is separate from the newsroom.

The most basic responsibility of an officer of the law is to obey the law. The police and federal agents have enormous powers. They can arrest people, forcibly enter their homes and commit violence in the government’s name. If they violate the rules for using those powers, they can become abusers of the citizens they are entrusted to protect.

The Department of Homeland Security under President Trump has followed this dark path. Too often over the past year, its behavior has been lawless.

In enacting Mr. Trump’s immigration crackdown, officers from the department have repeatedly defied the........

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