Jared McClain is a senior attorney at the Institute for Justice, based in Washington, D.C., focusing on government accountability, the First Amendment, property rights, and administrative law. He joined IJ in February 2022 and previously worked at the New Civil Liberties Alliance. He earned an undergraduate degree at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and a law degree with honors at George Mason University. He clerked for Judge Andrea M. Leahy of Maryland's Court of Special Appeals.
We have documented 3 statements by Jared McClain, in 1 case. Each statement below gives the quotation, its original source and a link to the full case.
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Role at the time: Attorney, Institute for Justice, representing the construction workers
Condemned
Statement summary
Jared McClain welcomed the stay of DHS's construction-site practices as restoring the rule of law, rejecting warrantless entry, blanket detention and refusal to credit identification.
“a huge blow to DHS’s lawless enforcement practices”
Read the official statement (opens in a new tab)Federal Court Orders DHS to Stop Detaining People With Valid Identification and Halts Warrantless Construction Site RaidsDated release (September 21, 2026): quotations from Leo Garcia Venegas and Jared McClain
Why we used this label
Rejects the challenged raid practices as unlawful.
Role at the time: Attorney, Institute for Justice, representing the construction workers
Condemned
Statement summary
Jared McClain condemned the challenged construction-site practices as Fourth Amendment violations and welcomed the opportunity to prove the claims after the case survived dismissal.
“these violations of the Fourth Amendment”
Read the official statement (opens in a new tab)US Citizen and Construction Worker Wins First Round in His Lawsuit Over Repeated Unconstitutional Detentions · Institute for Justicefull press release
Why we used this label
Rejects the challenged raid practices as unlawful.
Role at the time: Senior Attorney, Institute for Justice, counsel for Leo Garcia Venegas
Condemned
Statement summary
Institute for Justice senior attorney Jared McClain condemned DHS's construction-site raid practices as the lawsuit was filed, describing agents as detaining workers based on appearance rather than individualized evidence.
“Armed and masked federal officers are raiding private construction sites in Alabama, detaining whoever they think looks undocumented”
Read the official statement (opens in a new tab)U.S. Citizen's Lawsuit Demands an End to Unconstitutional Raids and Detentions at Alabama Construction Sites · Institute for Justicefull press release
Why we used this label
McClain's statement directly condemns DHS's construction-site raid and detention practices as the product of profiling by appearance rather than lawful, individualized suspicion — the conduct under scrutiny in this case.
A U.S. citizen construction worker in Alabama was detained by ICE three times despite showing a valid REAL ID each time. His lawsuit challenges DHS's warrantless site raids, and a federal judge temporarily blocked the practices in September 2026.
