Politics

It's not fraud, or at least legally. Morally, I would agree to the spirit of the statement but fraud has a specific legal meaning. You're right that a judicial warrant is the only real warrant according to the 4th Amendment.

What they're using is an I-200 form ( https://www.ice.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Document/2017/I-200_SAMPLE.PDF ) which allows for them to arrest an immigrant for the purpose of removal from the country.

I believe that the reasoning is that because ICE operates on the physical border they are given the authority to arrest people in order to send them back across the border. So having a form that says 'This guy tried to enter illegally, so I sent him back' makes some sense though I would argue that the 4th amendment should apply even in these cases because it doesn't provide exceptions.

Now ICE is using that authority FAR away from the border so it is being used in a way that is more like a 4th amendment judicial warrant because they are arresting and detaining people for long periods of time. I could see a case for a judge ruling that the use of this form for people not being immediately deported (like, within 20 minutes) is a violation of the 4th amendment and require judicial warrants for all arrests (in a sane world, I mean).

The reason that they can legally operate in this manner is because they technically have authority anywhere within 200 miles of a border and 'a border' is defined very broadly. An international airport is 'a border' so, most major cities are within 200 miles of 'a border'. Coasts are a border too including the Great Lakes' coast.

This is an example of the administration using the law in bad faith and also of a legal system who's laws were written with way too much ambiguity due to the assumption of good faith execution (expecting people to keep their oaths is so old fashioned I guess).

So, not a fraud, but certainly an immoral way of abusing the letter of the law and likely a direct violation of the 4th Amendment in many of the cases where they're using it.

For example, gaining entry into a home without a judicial warrant, which is HUGE no-no. Using general warrants to enter people's homes without probable cause proven before a judge is one of the a reason listed in the United States Declaration of Independence for the break with the King.