In the United States v. Sale case of 1914, the Supreme Court dealt with issues related to immigration law and deportation procedures. The defendant, Mr. Sale, was a ship captain who had brought immigrants into the country illegally by not following proper inspection protocols at Ellis Island in New York Harbor. He argued that he should not be held responsible for these actions because they were carried out under orders from his superiors and he did not personally profit from them. However, the court ruled against him stating that ignorance of law does not excuse anyone from liability for violating it; hence upheld his conviction on charges of conspiracy to violate immigration laws.

In the dissenting opinion for United States v. Sale, 1914, it was argued that the government did not have a right to confiscate property without due process of law. The dissenting justices believed that this case represented an overreach by the federal government into private affairs and violated constitutional protections against unlawful seizure of property. They contended that while there may be circumstances where such actions are necessary for public safety or welfare, those conditions were not met in this instance. Furthermore, they expressed concern about setting a dangerous precedent whereby governmental power could potentially infrify on individual rights without adequate checks and balances in place.