With little prospect of reaching an agreement on border security that would pave the way to reopen the government, lawmakers casting about for novel solutions to fund Trump’s border wall landed on yet another truly bad idea: tapping funds generated by civil asset forfeiture.

Civil asset forfeiture is the practice of law enforcement taking property from those suspected of illegal activity without ever necessarily charging them of a crime, let alone convicting them. Once seized, property alleged to be involved in a crime can then be permanently kept or sold by the government. It is very difficult (if not impossible) to get back, and law enforcement engaging in the practice is subject to little scrutiny, and victims rarely get their day in court to argue for the return of their possessions.