Deaths, detentions and deportations of American citizens in the second Trump administration
During the second presidency of Donald Trump, federal immigration enforcement policies and operations have resulted in the documented arrest, death, detention, and removal of American citizens. As of October 2025, the U.S. government was not tracking the number of detained or missing citizens, but ProPublica confirmed at least 170 citizen detentions by that time. The deportation of U.S. citizens from the United States is illegal.
High-profile detention cases of American citizens include arrests of elected officials, disabled adults and children, and Puerto Rican and Indigenous people. Donald Trump has supported taking away citizenship from Americans and detaining citizens in foreign prisons noted for human rights abuses.
Congressional Democrats have challenged the Trump administration to justify the detention of U.S. citizens and have been blocked by the Trump administration from investigating, passing laws limiting abuses, or overseeing immigration actions affecting U.S. citizens. Trump, other Republicans, and administration officials alternately confirmed, defended, and denied reports of American citizens being arrested, deported, and detained. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was confirmed by independent review and U.S. judges to have violated laws including the Immigration Act of 1990 by interrogating and detaining people without warrants or review of their citizenship status.
The Trump administration's treatment of U.S. citizens has raised concerns among civil rights advocates. Some activists have compared the impact of ICE on American citizens to concentration camps such as Manzanar, where Japanese-Americans were interned during World War II. Between 110,000 and 120,000 U.S. citizens were imprisoned by the U.S. government during the internment of Japanese Americans for political reasons from 1942 to 1945. The Cato Institute called Trump's immigration regime damaging to American interests. Legal and immigration experts have stated that these legal violations were caused by Trump administration pressure to deport people quickly without safeguards.
Background
ICE history of deporting or detaining citizens
The Government Accountability Office, an independent non-partisan agency of the United States Congress, found that up to 70 U.S. citizens were deported by ICE between 2015 and 2020. In the same time period, ICE was confirmed to have arrested 674 potential U.S. citizens and detained 121. Investigators determined that both ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection maintain poor and insufficient records, and that the numbers may be higher. The GAO found that ICE has defects and loopholes in their training and operations. The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse found ICE named 2,840 U.S. citizens as eligible for deportation between 2002 and 2017. Of those, 214 citizens were arrested by ICE. Based on research and surveys of immigration attorneys, Jacqueline Stevens of Northwestern University estimated that 1% of all ICE detainees are U.S. citizens, based on pre-Trump presidents, but that the rates will increase under Trump's immigrant deportation program. The American Immigration Lawyers Association states that ICE and CBP have a documented history of racism and racial profiling among their rank and file.Quotas and disregard of probable cause or warrant orders
Tom Homan
Trump's "border czar," Tom Homan, confirmed that ICE had made what he described as "collateral arrests" of "many" American citizens.According to Homan, ICE may detain people "based on the location, their occupation, their physical appearance, their actions like... the person walks away."
Homan framed the sharing of the "Know Your Rights" information as "how to escape arrest." Homan said such knowledge was harmful to law enforcement activities.
On August 13, 2025, Homan claimed, "President Trump doesn't have a limitation on his authority to make this country safe. There's no limitation."
Stephen Miller
, the homeland security advisor to Donald Trump, was reported to have ordered American security forces to arrest at least 3,000 people per day nationwide. According to these reports, ICE agents were directed by Miller to detain anyone they believed to be undocumented, regardless of legal or warrant status. Critics described these directives as racial profiling.The Cato Institute stated that there was a three-fold increase in the targeting of Hispanic Americans by ICE officials after Miller instructed the agency to stop "develop target lists of immigrants" and instead "go out on the street" to immediately detain people at "Home Depots or 7-Elevens."
Proposed transfer of U.S. citizens to foreign prisons
Despite longstanding legal prohibitions against deporting American citizens, President Donald Trump explored the possibility of transferring citizens convicted of crimes to foreign prisons during his second presidential term. Trump publicly stated numerous times that his administration was examining whether such actions could be legally pursued.Under the law of the United States, a U.S. citizen cannot legally be deported and has the legal right to return to the United States at any time. Prior to the second Trump administration, some academic studies attempted to count the number of unlawful detention and deportations of American citizens that had previously occurred; one study estimated that from 2003 to 2011 more than 20,000 Americans were incorrectly detained or deported by immigration officials.
Beginning with his second presidential administration, Trump pushed for mass deportations along with reducing safeguards to stop inappropriate detentions and deportations. This process resulted in American citizens becoming entangled in enforcement efforts. [New York (magazine)|New York] magazine described the problem as, "t's not a matter of if U.S. citizens are getting caught up in President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown and mass-deportation efforts but, rather, how and how many."
El Salvador offer to imprison U.S. citizens
While visiting the White House on February 4, 2025, Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele stated his willingness to house people of any nationality detained by the United States, including American citizens, in the maximum security Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador for payment. He confirmed the statement on X, writing that he had offered the U.S. "the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system". Although the U.S. government cannot legally deport U.S. citizens, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the administration would study whether the U.S. Constitution and laws would enable the administration to do so.Rubio called the offer "very generous", noting that it was the first time another country had made such an offer, and that it would cost a fraction of imprisoning criminals in the U.S. prison system. Trump said that he was looking into whether he could move forward with the offer, telling reporters, "if we had a legal right to do it, I would do it in a heartbeat." Trump also stated that he was not sure whether that legal right existed, and that the administration was assessing it. Trump said the cost of incarcerating American prisoners in other countries would be much less than that of imprisoning people in the U.S., and in addition, "it would be a great deterrent." He said that several countries had already agreed to host American prisoners.
Elon Musk called the proposal a "Great idea!!" on X. Rubio specified that this would apply to dangerous criminals. However, Politico noted that Bukele said on X that El Salvador would gladly take U.S. ex-senator Bob Menendez, who was serving an 11-year prison sentence for bribery but who was not a violent criminal.
In response to vandalizing Teslas, Trump suggested that such "terrorist thugs" could be sent to Salvadoran prisons. Ahead of Bukele's White House visit in April 2025, Trump confirmed that they would discuss sending Americans to El Salvador's prisons and stated, "if they can house these horrible criminals for a lot less money than it costs us, I'm all for it." When Trump met with Bukele at the White House on April 14, they continued to discuss the topic of sending Americans to CECOT, with Trump exploring its legality.
During the visit, Trump and Bukele discussed the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, which courts and news outlets described as illegal. In this context, Trump was quoted as advocating for the deportation of U.S. citizens, telling Bukele: "Home-growns are next. The home-growns. You gotta build about five more places. It's not big enough."
Analysis of moving citizens to foreign jails
Insha Rahman, vice president of advocacy for the Vera Institute of Justice, stated that no reasonable reading of "the Constitution or due process" would allow the President to send American citizens to serve their time in foreign prisons. Lauren-Brooke Eisen, the senior director of the justice program at the Brennan Center for Justice, told Politico that the proposal would be illegal because it violates the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, as well as the First Step Act, which requires Americans sentenced to prison to serve in facilities that are "as close as practicable to the prisoner's primary residence, and to the extent practicable, in a facility within 500 driving miles of that residence."The BBC noted that while U.S. citizens are technically afforded legal protection from deportation, it is possible for naturalized citizens to be denaturalized. This can happen when the citizenship was fraudulently obtained, and thus, citizens suspected of ties to criminal gangs or terrorist organizations, such as Tren de Aragua or MS-13, could, in theory, be stripped of citizenship and then deported after due process. Citizens born in the U.S. cannot be denaturalized.
Proposals to denaturalize citizens
Besides researching whether the Trump administration could send American citizens to foreign prisons, the Trump administration also was looking into stripping citizenship away and deporting certain citizens through the denaturalization process as reported in July 2025. The Department of Justice wrote in a memorandum that the civil division is going to "prioritize and maximally pursue denaturalization proceedings in all cases permitted by law and supported by the evidence."In June 2025, United States Representative Andy Ogles called for Uganda-born U.S. citizen Zohran Mamdani, then-candidate in elections for Mayor of New York City, to be denaturalized and expelled from the United States.
President Trump threatened to denaturalize comedian Rosie O'Donnell, who was born in New York state and holds dual United States and Irish citizenship.
In December 2025, it was reported that USCIS guidance, issued the same month, said that the Office of Immigration Litigation be supplied with "100–200 denaturalization cases per month" in the 2026 fiscal year. Previously, from 2017–2025, "just over 120 cases" had been filed. Immigrants may be denaturalized under federal law only if they have committed fraud while applying for citizenship. In most cases they would be granted legal permanent residence. In 2025, the Justice Department brought thirteen such cases and won eight of them.
Deaths
Keith Porter
On December 31, 2025, a 43-year-old African-American father of two named Keith Porter was shot and killed by an off-duty ICE agent in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.The Department of Homeland Security claimed the officer heard gunshots from his apartment, took his "ICE authorized firearm" outside, and found Keith Porter with a long rifle. The statement says he identified himself as law enforcement, then Porter pointed the gun at him and refused to put it down, at which point the officer fired his weapon and Porter fired three rounds back.
According to family members, Porter's initial gunshots were fired into the air as a New Year's Eve celebration. Neighbors said they did not hear the agent identify themselves.
Deportations
There have been both documented and reported deportations of United States citizens, which is unconstitutional. On Meet the Press, Trump Secretary of State Marco Rubio disputed that the Trump administration deported U.S. citizen children. Rubio stated, "Three U.S. citizens—ages 4, 7 and 2—were not deported. Their mothers, who were illegally in this country, were deported."Several U.S. citizens, including immigration lawyers, received notices from the federal government instructing them to "self-deport." It is unclear whether this occurred due to an administrative error, nor was there any response from the US Department of Homeland Security, other than that some of the letters may have been sent to unintended recipients. Lawyers have expressed concerns this is a fear or intimidation tactic.
Even in cases in which migrants choose to use the CBP Home App in an attempt to self-deport, evidence shows that many are never contacted by the U.S. government, which promises them a safe return to country of origin. ProPublica reports that more than a dozen Venezuelans used the app as told, signed up, and were even given departure dates that subsequently came and went without notice. Concerns have been raised that the app may be useless in such instances where the State Department does not have the ability to acquire documents and obtain safe passage to locations that are politically fraught or dangerous.
2-year-old child
A 2-year-old US citizen was deported to Honduras with her mother, Jenny Carolina Lopez-Villela, on April 25, 2025. The child, identified in court records by the initials V.M.L., was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 2023.Lopez-Villela and V.M.L.'s sister came to the United States in September 2019 to seek asylum after the attempted kidnapping of Janelle. They awaited court hearing in Mexico under the Migrant Protection Protocols. They attended two hearings before they were forced to return to Honduras in November 2019 to avoid dangerous conditions in Matamoros. While they were in Honduras, an immigration court ordered them removed in absentia in March 2020, and they were never informed of this. They returned to the Mexican side of the US border in March 2021 to seek asylum but, while waiting to get in, they were detained in Nuevo Laredo. They eventually entered the US in August 2021, being released to the custody of Janelle's father in Louisiana and instructed to attend regular ICE check ins, which they did. During this time, V.M.L. was born in 2023. In February 2025, Lopez-Villela was placed in the "Intensive Supervision Appearance Program". On April 22, 2025, they went to the ISAP appointment and were detained.
On April 22, 2025, Lopez-Villela, a citizen of Honduras, was asked to bring her children with her when attending a check in with ICE. During the check in, V.M.L., Janelle, and Lopez-Villela, who was pregnant at the time, were detained and V.M.L.'s passport was taken away. According to court filings, the three were taken to a hotel in Alexandria, three hours away, and were told they were to be deported the next day. Lopez-Villela was then allowed to talk to V.M.L.'s father for less than a minute on an ICE officer's phone with the ICE officer present. V.M.L.'s father was told that V.M.L. would be deported, to which he objected since she was a US-born citizen. He tried to read out a lawyer's phone number, but the ICE officer hung up. According to the court filing, she was not allowed to arrange for V.M.L.'s care. An attorney working for V.M.L.'s family attempted to set up a call for the family and delivered a mandate delegating custody of V.M.L. to another family member living in the United States. ICE refused to set up the call or provide information and their location.
According to court documents, for the next two days V.M.L., Lopez-Villela and Janelle were held by ICE, at times in the hotel in Alexandria and at times, for up to five hours, in a van at the airport. During this time, V.M.L.'s father reached out to ICE and was told that if he attempted to pick up his daughter, he would also be "taken into custody" and deported. His lawyer called immigration officials and informed them that V.M.L. is a US citizen and could not be deported. The lawyer repeatedly attempted to set up a phone call with Lopez-Villela and between V.M.L.'s parents but this was reportedly refused. On April 24, V.M.L's father and their lawyer finally found out where the three were in a phone call with DOJ's Office of Immigration Litigation, but OIL refused to hand V.M.L. over to anyone other than her father.
During this time, V.M.L.'s father was erroneously told that the three had been sent to Washington, DC, and would call him from there. Following the call with OIL, the family's lawyer filed a habeas corpus petition and a motion for a temporary restraining order. Later, an ICE officer told Lopez-Villela to sign a paper saying she would take her daughter with her. When she refused, the officer reportedly threatened that if she did not, the children would be sent to a foster home. Lopez-Villela then complied and signed the paper, which was then submitted to the court early in the morning as part of a response to the habeas petition. Before the court could respond to the habeas petition, the family was deported to Honduras, according to court filings. On April 29, the DHS issued a statement in which they claimed that Lopez-Villela "chose to bring her younger daughter... with her to Honduras."
At a court hearing, US District Judge Terry Doughty said deportation of a US citizen is "illegal and unconstitutional" and that he had a "strong suspicion that the Government just deported a U.S. citizen with no meaningful process." Judge Doughty ordered a hearing on the matter for May 16, 2025.
Referring to the deportation of V.M.L. and two other young children who are American citizens, the executive director of ACLU of Louisiana said, "Once again, the government has used deceptive tactics to deny people their rights. They must be returned." In May 2025, the family of V.M.L. voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit against the Trump administration "to give themselves space and time to consider all the options that are available to them." On July 31, 2025, they filed a new lawsuit, along with another family with two American children, aged 4 and 7, seeking declaratory, Administrative Procedure Act and injunctive relief along with money damages for the violation of their rights.
Four-year-old cancer patient and 7-year-old sibling
Two American citizens, a 7-year-old girl and her 4-year-old brother "Romeo," were sent to Honduras along with their mother, a Honduran national, on April 25, 2025. Romeo has stage 4 cancer.Romeo and A.A.Z.M.'s mother, Reachel Alexas Morales-Valle, crossed into the United States in 2013 at the age of 13 and requested asylum at the border. Following a February 2025 traffic stop, she was detained by ICE and placed in the ISAP supervision program, which prompted her to hire an immigration attorney. After hiring an attorney, she discovered that she had been issued an in absentia order of removal in 2015. She attended all of her ISAP appointments and met all requirements. While trying to reschedule an appointment, she was told to bring her American children and their passports to an appointment the next day in Saint Rose, Louisiana.
According to an attorney for the family, Morales-Valle was told that the purpose of the check in was to photocopy the children's passports, and the children wore their school uniforms, expecting to return to school once the appointment was over. The three of them were separated from their lawyer and then detained. The children's mother was not permitted to speak with an attorney or family members prior to their deportation, despite trying to do so.
ICE agents then reportedly demanded that Morales-Valle sign a document without explaining what it said and without allowing her to talk to her lawyer about it. She refused. Agents informed them that they would be deported, refused a request to talk to their lawyer and then allowed them a brief call to the father to inform him they were being deported. They were taken out through the back, apparently to avoid their lawyer and then driven three hours to a hotel in Alexandria, Louisiana. Later, their lawyer was informed that they had been transferred but was given no further information. The lawyer was told to take the matter up with an office in New Orleans, which they did - filing a stay of removal and pointing out that they were not properly notified which should result in an automatic stay. The lawyer then asked to talk to a supervisor but was told no one was available. The lawyer spent much of the day trying to identify the location of Morales-Valle and her children and to make arrangements for the children prior to deportation, but was unable to get responses to her requests. That night, Morales-Valle was able to make a brief call on an ICE agent's phone to her father and tell him they were in Alexandria and were to be deported the next day, but then the agent hung up the phone.
In the early morning hours of April 25, 2025, Morales-Valle and her children were driven to the airport and forced onto a plane, while ICE and other immigration staff ignored requests from Morales-Valle's lawyer. As they were on the plane, ICE officials told the lawyer that the stay of removal application had been denied, though the lawyer had received no such formal notification. Morales-Valle and her family were then flown to Honduras, the children's passports were returned and an officer tried again to get her sign the documents she had refused to sign in Louisiana.
Attorneys for both the mother and the children insisted that the children were deported illegally. The attorneys provided evidence demonstrating that their mother, other family members, and attorneys "had little to no chance" to arrange for the children to stay in the U.S. rather than being deported. The attorneys were in the midst of preparing habeas corpus petitions for the children, but the children were deported before the attorneys could file them.
The 4-year-old had his cancer medication with him, but was not permitted to access it in detention, and was not allowed to bring the medication with him when he was deported. ICE was aware of the 4-year-old's cancer diagnosis and that he was undergoing treatment prior to his deportation.
Tom Homan, President Donald Trump's "border czar", called the children anchor babies, commenting that "Having a U.S. citizen child after you enter this country illegally is not a get-out-of-jail free card." In speaking about the deportation of these children and another U.S. citizen child, Homan insisted that the children's mothers requested their children be removed from the country, and said it was preferable to keep the families together. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied that the children had been deported, instead saying that they "went with their mothers," and that because they are citizens, they could return to the U.S. if the families arranged for someone in the U.S. to care for them. In a statement from DHS, they again asserted that "she chose to bring both children...with her to Honduras."
In August, the National Immigration Project filed a lawsuit on behalf of Morales-Valle, her family and the family of a 2-year-old American deported at the same time. The lawsuit said they were unlawfully denied due process and deported. The lawsuit noted that "Courts have observed that the U.S. Government cannot 'deport' a United States citizen. In fact, some courts have posited that the term "banished" is most appropriate for this scenario to avoid the appearance of legitimacy or normalcy." In the suit, they allege that the mothers said they wanted their children to remain in the U.S., but that the families were "illegally deported without even a semblance of due process." They sued for declaratory relief, Administrative Procedure Act relief, injunctive relief, and monetary damages for the violation of their rights.
Ten-year-old child with brain cancer and four siblings
A 10-year-old girl with brain cancer, who is an American citizen, was deported with her parents and four siblings to Mexico after being stopped at an immigration checkpoint while on the way to an emergency medical appointment on February 4, 2025. The eldest child, aged 15, also has a heart condition called Long QT Syndrome. Four of the five children were born in the US.Miguel Silvestre
Miguel Silvestre is a U.S. citizen born in Stockton, California. In 1999, he was described in news reports as being deported twice despite his citizenship. Later, while visiting Mexico on vacation, he was denied reentry into the United States and spent two weeks in detention under the George W. Bush administration. ICE records incorrectly identified him as a Mexican citizen. A judge permanently corrected his status in 2004, ruling that he had been wrongly labeled for deportation. In June 2025, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that federal authorities created new expedited removal paperwork naming Silvestre and published images of a DHS Form I-213 dated both 2004 and 2025. The Chronicle published images of the I-213 and KCRA described the paperwork as a deportation order; both outlets reported that Silvestre has a California birth certificate. ICE officials disputed these accounts. ICE later stopped responding to inquiries from the San Francisco Chronicle and KCRA-TV on the matter.Chanthila Souvannarath
Chanthila Souvannarath was born in a refugee camp in Thailand to a father from Laos. He moved to the U.S. where he was granted legal permanent residence before his first birthday. His father obtained U.S. citizenship and gained sole custody of his son, giving Souvannarath a claim to U.S. citizenship under the laws in effect at the time. In June 2025, Souvannarath was living in Alabama where he was taken into ICE custody in front of two of his sons during an annual check-in with U.S. immigration authorities. Souvannarath had convictions dating from 2004 and earlier for illegal firearms possession and assaulting his then-girlfriend in King County, Washington. His green card was revoked after his conviction. A removal order was issued in 2006. He was transferred to a recently-opened migrant detention facility at the Louisiana State Prison at Angola where he was informed on October 16 he would be put on the next plane to Laos, a country he had never visited. Representing himself, he filed a habeas petition and an emergency motion for a stay of removal with the U.S. federal court for the middle district of Louisiana. On October 23, chief district judge Shelly Dick issued a temporary restraining order that Souvannarath not be deported or removed from the jurisdiction of her district for 14 days while he presented his "substantial claim of U.S. citizenship."Regardless of the court's order, ICE deported Souvannarath to Laos on October 24. A DHS spokesperson stated that ICE had not been served with the order before Souvannarath's deportation and that he had been ordered deported in 2006. The Louisiana ACLU called Souvannarath's deportation "a catastrophic failure of the immigration system and a flagrant violation of constitutional rights" that "should shock the nation" and asked Dick to order his immediate return to the U.S.
Génesis Ester Gutiérrez Castellanos
5-year-old Génesis Ester Gutiérrez Castellanos, of Austin, Texas, was deported to Honduras alongside her mother on January 11, 2026. ICE agents were acting on a deportation order issued in 2019, a year before Gutiérrez Castellanos was born in 2020.Detentions
It was confirmed from official ICE records that U.S. citizens were directly targeted and detained by Trump immigration officials. ProPublica reported that the U.S. government, as of 2025, does not track how many citizens have been detained by immigration agents, but ProPublica reported at least 170 detentions through October 2025 of citizens. The Cato Institute confirmed the Trump administration was committing racial profiling. The Immigration Act of 1990 makes it illegal for federal officials to even question or interrogate anyone at all within the United States about their rights to be in the nation unless they have a judicial warrant or reasonable cause to believe they are an alien.ICE has confirmed in official court records to detaining people without first validating or confirming their citizenship status. The Los Angeles Times reported multiple witnesses stated that then-acting U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli screamed at members of a grand jury that refused to indict U.S. citizens against the wishes of the Trump administration. In one example, Trump immigration officials falsely stated a citizen told an immigration official he was going to "shoot him," physically attacked the official, and initiated a multiple-person foot chase, but video evidence then revealed none of the above happened, the Times reported. The Trump administration proceeded with prosecuting the unnamed citizen regardless. On July 11, 2025, U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong found roving immigration patrols were illegal due to violating standards of reasonable suspicion of crimes and that the Trump administration was criminally denying detained United States citizens access to required legal counsel. The Guardian found most cases and proceedings filed by Trump immigration officials against U.S. citizens to be false and misleading, and many were dismissed. Many Trump immigration officials have filed false and misleading official reports about citizens.
In August 2025, it was reported that non-white American citizens in California had begun carrying United States passports domestically in fear of ICE contact and detention. Legal advisors have begun warning citizens in spite of this to consider carrying documents for their own safety, due to documented and ongoing incidents of ICE detaining U.S. citizens. Naturalized citizens also began to warn each other and their communities to carry paper proof of who they are as self-defense against ICE. One naturalized citizen said she at first dismissed her daughters' advice to carry a passport, believing their family was not at risk, although she had heard about instances of others approached by ICE, taken, detained and deported. She only reconsidered when her white, American-born husband, who works in law enforcement, urged her and their daughters to carry proof. While a Real ID compliant form of identification is required for domestic air travel, there is no law or legal requirement for U.S. citizens to carry proof of citizenship within the country. Historians have contrasted the ongoing crisis of detained American citizens to World War II concentration camps, including Manzanar. Northwest Asian Weekly reported naturalized citizens, including those of Chinese, Korean, and Indian American heritage, leave their homes less frequently due to fear of contact by ICE agents and carry documents such as passports when they do, which is never a legal requirement in the United States for any citizen.
Research by ProPublica indicated that in the same year, more than 170 incidents of citizens being detained by immigration officials occurred. In 2025, an additional twenty citizens reported being detained for longer than a day by immigration officials without access to a phone call, legal counsel, or in some cases with their family having no information at all of the whereabouts of their disappeared family. Citizen military veterans of the United States Armed Forces have been targeted by immigration officials in the Trump presidency throughout 2025. In October 2025, The Guardian identified eight instances in which U.S. military veterans had been detained for protesting ICE detentions and operations and accused them of being "Antifa-aligned terrorists". One U.S. Marine Corps veteran sued the government for being tackled from behind and beaten by ICE agents, an incident captured on video; a DHS spokesperson claimed he threw rocks and falsified injuries using fake blood.
ProPublica has documented that immigration agents have arrested at least 130 American citizens who have allegedly interfered with immigration operations or have been accused of assaulting officers. At least 50 of these cases have yet to yield charges against the individuals or were dismissed outright. Some of the incidents include people filming immigration raids, such as Juan Carlos Ramirez, who was pepper-sprayed, detained and arrested upon trying to film agents who were looking for his father but could not produce a warrant. DHS stated that Ramirez "refused to comply with officers’ orders to back up and aggressively raised his fists to square off with law enforcement."
Arrest of 15 New York city and state officials by ICE
Fifteen elected Democratic Party New York area officials were arrested by ICE in New York City on September 18, 2025. The elected officials went to the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building in New York City, which holds detained immigrants. Due to the overcrowded and unsanitary conditions at the buildings, courts have ordered ICE not to hold humans there as prisoners, but ICE continued to do so. The elected officials stated that they were "attempting to conduct oversight," and held a sit-in, during which they chanted and unfurled a banner that read "NYers against ICE." They were arrested at around 3:45 p.m.The elected officials include New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, New York State Senate members Jabari Brisport, Gustavo Rivera, and Julia Salazar; as well as New York State Assembly members Robert Carroll, Emily Gallagher, Jessica González-Rojas, Marcela Mitaynes, Steven Raga, Tony Simone, Phara Souffrant Forrest, and Claire Valdez; as well as New York City Council members Tiffany Cabán and Sandy Nurse; and Jumaane Williams, the New York City Public Advocate, who is first in line to succeed the Mayor of New York City.
Identified citizens
Willy Aceituno
A citizen of the U.S. born in Honduras, Willy Aceituno, stated that he was stopped by U.S. Border Patrol agents in a Charlotte, North Carolina parking lot on November 15, 2025. After a "playful" engagement with federal agents for 15 minutes, which he said he did to distract them from migrants in the vicinity, he confirmed his U.S. citizenship. He entered his truck but was confronted by a second group of agents who banged on and broke his window, removed him from his truck, handcuffed him and placed him in a vehicle for 20 minutes before releasing him.Nasra Ahmed
On January 14, Somali-American Saint Paul native Ahmed was leaving her apartment to pick up a prescription when two Somali men ran past her, pursued by federal agents. Despite showing the agents her ID, she was detained and put in a detention cell alongside a Native American woman. During her time in custody, Ahmed suffered a seizure and was hospitalized. She was released after two days in custody.Rodrigo Almendarez
A natural-born citizen of Canoga Park, California, Rodrigo Almendarez, was detained by ICE agents at his place of employment in Simi Valley in August 2025. The agents did not identify themselves to Almendarez as ICE agents, or speak to him before handcuffing and detaining him on sight. The action against Almendarez was so aggressive that ICE agents failed to put their truck into park, leaving it in drive mode with brakes disabled. This caused the agents to have to chase their own vehicle running by foot down the street to catch it as well; the vehicle then impacted, shattering a side mirror. Almendarez was ultimately released without charge after the agents viewed his ID and were challenged by a coworker.Cary López Alvarado
U.S. citizen Cary López Alvarado was arrested by ICE agents alongside two undocumented immigrants, one of whom was her partner, on June 8, 2025. López Alvarado was born in Los Angeles at Hollywood Hospital along with her cousin Alberto Sandoval, who is also a citizen. She reported experiencing intense pains in her stomach after she was arrested and later went to the hospital to be monitored after her release. The DHS said that Alvarado was arrested for blocking access to a car containing the undocumented immigrants; Alvarado denied resisting, saying, "I can't fight back; I'm pregnant." Footage shows her telling agents that they needed to leave because they were on private property. Other footage shows her refusing to "move away" upon an agent's request. Alvarado was released from custody not long after her arrest.During the incident with ICE, Alvarado was "violently detained," shackled in chains across her pregnant torso, and went into labor with the baby prematurely due to the attack by federal agents.
Jairin Anzaldúa-Ervin
Jairin Anzaldúa-Ervin, age 29, of Gervais, Oregon was arrested by ICE agents who claimed that he threw a water bottle at them during a protest in Portland, Oregon on October 4, 2025. Video online showed ICE agents dog piling on top of him and placing their knees on his ribs during his arrest. His wife was tracking his phone's location while he was at the protest, and stated that the tracking ceased to show his location around 1:00 a.m. Nearly 20 hours later, she learned what had happened when she saw videos of his arrest online. A federal magistrate allowed Anzaldúa-Ervin to be charged with alleged assault on a federal officer.Bachir Atallah
Naturalized U.S. citizen and Trump supporter Bachir Atallah was detained by the CBP in April 2025 while returning from a family trip to Canada. Atallah confirmed to the officials that he had a Redress Control Number issued by the Department of Homeland Security, which confirms the specific identity of a citizen who has been repeatedly targeted by immigration officials. Despite this, Atallah was handcuffed and separated from his wife, also a U.S. citizen, at gunpoint. The officials refused to grant Atallah access to legal counsel for over three hours, despite his repeated requests for access to legal representation.Atallah reported to NBC10 Boston that he was forced under medical duress to write a statement that he authorized access to his electronic devices. Despite being an attorney and citing attorney-client privilege, the officials coerced Atallah into surrendering access to his computer and email systems. Emergency medical reports from the time indicated he began to experience medical distress.
Emerson Ayala
In Danbury Township, Ohio, U.S. citizen Emerson Ayala was detained by Border Patrol while working at his construction job on June 19, 2025. Ayala was recording the detention of some of his coworkers on his cellphone, and then approached by a Border Patrol agent, who asked, "Are you illegal?" Ayala was wearing a construction safety harness, which a Border Patrol agent grabbed. The agent did not inform Ayala that he was being detained before putting his hands on him. Ayala was transported to Ottawa County Jail and charged with allegedly assaulting a federal agent.Elianne Bahena and Jacqueline Lopez
On October 22, 2025, ICE detained seven people, including Elianne Bahena and Jacqueline Lopez, two members of alderman Michael Rodriguez's staff who are U.S. citizens, in a raid on the border of Little Village, Chicago, and Cicero, Illinois.Ras Baraka
The Mayor of Newark, New Jersey was detained by ICE. On May 9, 2025, Ras Baraka was arrested by agents outside of the Delaney Hall ICE facility. Interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba said Baraka was arrested because he "committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center." Baraka attempted to join a congressional delegation conducting oversight, was denied entry by an ICE official, and then Baraka exited the secure area of the facility and returned to stand on public property; however, minutes later, the agents surrounded Baraka, handcuffed him, and brought him inside the facility.In a press conference after the arrest, Democratic House representative Rob Menendez said ICE agents "feel no restraint on what they should be doing, and that was shown in broad daylight today." At Baraka's initial court appearance, he was charged with allegedly trespassing and was later released on the same day of his arrest. After release, he told waiting supporters, "The reality is this: I didn't do anything wrong."
Arnoldo Bazan
Immigration agents pulled over 16-year-old Bazan and his undocumented father in Houston on October 23, 2025. Bazan's father fled into a nearby restaurant supply store, with Bazan filming on his phone. Agents restrained Bazan, with one putting their knee on his back and another putting him in a chokehold, against DHS regulations.Joe Botello
Joe Botello, a citizen born in Texas, was detained by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and ICE agents in Elgin, Illinois, on September 16, 2025. Botello informed ICE of his citizenship and birth status with documentation prior to his detention. Noem herself was personally present at Botello's capture. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Federal agents forced their way into the citizen's home before 5:30 a.m. local time. Noem posted a video that included Botello's detention on social media, claiming, "DHS took violent offenders off the streets with arrests for assault, DUI and felony stalking." Botello had not committed a crime and was later released; Noem did not clarify in her posting of his arrest and detention that Botello was an innocent citizen. The Chicago Tribune revealed Federal records proving DHS and ICE had kept Botello under surveillance prior to detaining him. Federal agents also detained another citizen during the raid on Botello's home.Debbie Brockman
Debbie Brockman, a U.S. citizen and an employee of WGN-TV, was detained by federal agents in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Chicago on October 10, 2025. She was detained for seven hours after videotaping agents detaining a Latino man and asking if they had a warrant. DHS alleges that Brockman threw objects at a Border Patrol vehicle. On October 14, Brockman's attorney released a statement saying that Brockman was pursuing legal action against ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for assault and wrongful arrest.Rev. Kenny Callaghan
Rev. Kenny Callaghan, a southern California native, stated that on January 7, 2026, ICE detained him as he was observing a protest near where ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renée Good. Callaghan observed ICE agents approach a young Hispanic woman, and told them "take me instead of her, I am not afraid of you," as the agents "pointed a gun in face." ICE agents handcuffed him, placed him in an ICE vehicle and asked for his identification and cell phone. When he asked if he was being arrested, they walked away. Callaghan stated ICE agents asked him, "are you afraid yet?" and remarked, "well, you're white, you wouldn't be fun anyway." After about 30 minutes Callaghan was released without charge.Jose Castillo
American citizen Jose Castillo was pursued and arrested by U.S. Border Patrol officers in Sacramento, California, during immigration actions on July 17, 2025. Castillo was accused by Border Patrol agents of slashing one of their tires.Jose Castro
ICE and CBP detained naturalized U.S. citizen Jose Castro, who is originally from Ecuador, on June 18, 2025, in Rochester, New York. During the arrest, recorded by tourists and onlookers, the agents refused identification from Castro and detained him regardless.Wilmer Chavarria
Wilmer Chavarria, the superintendent of schools for Winooski, Vermont and a U.S. citizen, was detained by CBP officials and interrogated at a Houston airport on July 21, 2025. Chavarria was returning from a visit to Nicaragua with his husband, who was not detained during the incident. Chavarria was born and raised in Nicaragua, but became a U.S. citizen in 2018. Officials told Chavarria that he had no rights, disputed that he was married, and challenged his employment as an educator in Vermont. Afterward, his Global Entry status to travel out of the United States was revoked with no explanation given. Chavarria is a board member of the Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation.Ernesto Diaz
Ernesto Diaz, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen, was handcuffed and threatened with a taser by masked ICE agents in late September 2025 in Chicago, after the start of Operation Midway Blitz. The agents threw his wallet on the ground and drove away after checking his identification. Diaz believes that he was targeted because he is Hispanic and dark-skinned, and began carrying his identification documents daily before the incident because of the uptick in ICE activity nationwide.Dulce Consuelo Diaz Morales
Dulce Consuelo Diaz Morales was detained by ICE on December 14, 2025, after they pulled her over in Baltimore, Maryland. Diaz Morales' lawyers said they have a birth certificate stating she was born in Laurel, Maryland, as well as other proof of citizenship. Diaz Morales claims to have been living in Mexico from the age of 7. According to her family and lawyers, she moved to the U.S. in 2023 due to threats of cartel violence in Mexico. According to her lawyers, she didn't have the proper paperwork when she entered the U.S. and was incorrectly processed as an immigrant. According to her lawyers, she has never been denaturalized.A DHS representative stated, " did not provide a valid U.S. birth certificate or any evidence in support of her claim that she is a U.S. citizen." According to her lawyers, ICE claims all her documents are forged. Her case went viral after Victoria Slatton, one of Diaz Morales' lawyers, shared information about the detention on TikTok.
Diaz Morales told WRC-TV she holds dual citizenship with Mexico and is in the process of applying for a U.S. passport. On December 18, 2025, a federal judge issued an order to prohibit the deportation of Diaz Morales. Diaz Morales was released on January 7, 2026, after 25 days in detention. On January 13 she had her first check-in with ICE. She was forced to wait for 8 hours. ICE set the condition that she had to wear an ankle monitor before being allowed to go home. As of January 16, 2026, the government has not dismissed her case.
George and Esmeralda Doilez
U.S. citizens George and Esmeralda Doilez, who both voted for Donald Trump, were detained by U.S. Border Patrol officers on August 6, 2025. They were being followed by an unmarked SUV while en route to the dentist, before pulled over by masked, plainclothes officials with weapons. The Doilezes were told they were detained due to a "known alien out in the area."The Doilezes stated that they were "exploring the area" and "scoping out campsites on their way to the dentist." The U.S. Border Patrol blamed the couple for the detention, saying, "If you have a dentist appointment, it probably wasn't the best decision to be out in the middle of nowhere." Esmeralda reported to NBC News that she feared the agents might kill George during the encounter. A Border Patrol agent threatened to seize their vehicle and cite them for their possession of legally purchased cannabis. The couple accused the agents of racial profiling and violating their constitutional rights. Both regretted voting for Trump repeatedly, with George saying, "I feel shame, guilt and anger at the same time because of the promises that he made that he lied to us about, going after the worst of the worst. He lied on those and he stole our vote."
Isaac Dominguez
Isaac Dominguez, a U.S. citizen, was detained by ICE agents in Anaheim, California in August 2025. The agents initially claimed Dominguez attacked them in a car wash, but then released him without charges. Dominguez, who is "proudly" Black and Mexican, attributed the arrest to racial profiling, saying, "they’re just attacking Hispanic people, Hispanic-looking people" regardless of documentation status.Darren Eichler, Daniel Greer and Cordell Walls
Darren Eichler, Daniel Greer, and Cordell Walls, along with one other U.S. citizen, were detained by ICE agents at a cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois where they worked on October 7, 2025. The four citizens were attempting to help two men, whom ICE was attempting to detain, who were struggling in the Des Plaines River near the cemetery's border. ICE agents pepper sprayed them before tackling, zip-tying and shackling them.Mahamed Eydarus
Eydarus, an American of Somali descent, was helping his mother shovel snow from her Minneapolis driveway when agents approached and asked why they were speaking a foreign language. The agents left after the two showed the agents their identification.Dariana Fajardo
Dariana Fajardo, a U.S. citizen, was detained by ICE agents in Waukegan, Illinois on October 6, 2025. They claimed she was trying to box in ICE vehicles, a claim she and community leaders denied. ICE agents ignored her U.S. passport as proof of citizenship during her arrest, leaving it in her vehicle.Dayanne Figueroa
Dayanne Figueroa, a U.S. citizen in Chicago, was dragged out of her car and detained by ICE following a vehicle collision on October 10, 2025. A DHS secretary claimed Figueroa used her vehicle to block agents while honking her horn. According to DHS, when agents drove away, Figueroa used her car to ram the agent’s vehicle. Figueroa was arrested for assault on a federal agent. Due to the physical altercation, Figueroa had to return to the hospital where she had recently had kidney surgery.Jessie Fuentes
Alderwoman Jessie Fuentes of Chicago, a Puerto Rican U.S. citizen, was handcuffed by federal agents inside of an ER on October 3, 2025. They threatened her with arrest before releasing her outside of the hospital. On October 21, Fuentes filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security under the Federal Tort Claims Act, seeking $100,000 in personal injury damages.Job Garcia
Garcia, a graduate student and part-time delivery worker, was swept up during an ICE raid at the Home Depot in Hollywood, Los Angeles on June 18, 2025. Garcia witnessed agents smashing another man's car window and was arrested after he began recording the incident. He was physically beaten by ICE agents, brought to Dodger Stadium alongside 30 other detainees and was held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles for 24 hours before being released. Garcia said that agents considered charging him with assaulting a federal officer but decided against it when video of the arrest became public.Jason Brian Gavidia
Jason Brian Gavidia, an American citizen, was videotaped being detained in June 2025 in his hometown of Montebello, California by ICE agents who twisted his arm while asking him, "What hospital were you born at?" The mayor of Montebello, Salvador Melendez, said in response to the incident: "This is racial profiling. They're stopping folks because of the way they look...ICE agents are terrorizing our community. They are taking actions and asking questions later. There is absolutely no due process."In August 2025, Gavidia joined a lawsuit over unconstitutional actions by the Trump administration and his ICE agents. Gavidia, a former Trump supporter and voter, accused the President of lying and "brainwashing" the United States, and stated that he regretted supporting Trump.
Edwin Godinez and Yair Napolés
Godinez and Napolés, stepbrothers and U.S. citizens, were detained by ICE in Salisbury, North Carolina on January 5, 2026. The two had learned that two of their co-workers at their family's construction business had been detained by ICE, so they responded to the scene to pick up a work vehicle that was left behind. ICE agents stopped them nearby and attempted to grab Godinez's phone. After attempting to remove the two from their vehicle and apparently striking Godinez, the ICE agents left.Maria Greeley
Maria Greeley, a 44-year-old U.S. citizen of Chicago, was detained by ICE in October 2025, who surrounded her on her way home from work, forced her hands behind her back and zip-tied her. They questioned her for an hour, refused to answer questions and accused her of lying when she produced her passport as proof of citizenship, telling her that she "doesn't look like" a Greeley. Greeley attributed the incident to racial profiling, stating, "I am Latina and I am a service worker. I fit the description of what they’re looking for now."Angelica Guerrero
U.S. citizen Angelica Guerrero was detained by ICE agents in San Francisco, California in August 2025, and was denied access to legal representation or a phone call for 24 hours. Guerrero was tackled by unidentified men, not read her rights, and detained outside of an ICE facility during a small protest on San Francisco municipal property. Guerrero was detained without access to representation in the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, California. Guerrero was charged for allegedly interfering with federal agents and destruction of property. The Partnership for Civil Justice Fund stated that the agents violated "multiple laws" in the detention of Guerrero.Jonathan Guerrero
Jonathan Guerrero, a 21-year-old Mexican American U.S. citizen born in Philadelphia, was detained by ICE while working at a car wash in January 2025. ICE agents aimed firearms at him and then handcuffed him, along with several of his coworkers. Agents released Guerrero after checking his ID.Ernesto Campos Gutierrez
In Bakersfield, California, U.S. citizen Ernesto Campos Gutierrez was detained by Border Patrol agents in January 2025; the incident was recorded on video. During his detention, agents flattened all the tires on his work truck with knives, arrested Campos Gutierrez for having a non-citizen in the truck, and then released him hours later with no charges.Jose Hermosillo
Nineteen-year-old U.S. citizen Jose Hermosillo, a resident of the state of New Mexico, was arrested by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Tucson, Arizona on April 8, 2025, while visiting his girlfriend's family. Hermosillo was falsely arrested for illegally entering the country while walking near the Border Patrol headquarters. Upon learning of his detention in Florence Correctional Center, a privately owned prison in Florence, Arizona, a member of Hermosillo's girlfriend's family drove to the facility with Hermosillo's Social Security card and birth certificate but was not given any information or allowed to effectuate his release.The government claimed that Hermosillo had said that he was a Mexican citizen, said that he had entered the country illegally through Nogales, and said that he was planning to stay for 20 years to work. According to an anonymous United States Department of Homeland Security official, Hermosillo then signed a statement with those facts. Hermosillo's family and girlfriend say that he has a learning disability and is illiterate. The charging document states that Hermosillo either read the document or had it read to him, but Hermosillo states that it was never read to him.
According to Hermosillo, the Border Patrol's version of events is false. He says that he had a seizure and was taken to a hospital by an ambulance without his state ID card. He says that after being released from the hospital, he got lost and went to a police officer for help. The police officer asked where he was from and he said that he was from "New Mexico." The officer, who worked for the Border Patrol, responded "Don't make me like stupid. I know you're from Mexico," and arrested him, according to Hermosillo. He says that he told prison staff that he was a U.S. citizen several times, and was told "call your lawyer." He denies that ICE officers read him the document that was signed with his first name.
Hermosillo was detained for a total of ten days before being released on April 17. In an interview after his release, Hermosillo stated that, "They were saying I'm from Mexico, but I'm a U.S. citizen." Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes investigated Hermosillo's detention by immigration authorities, requesting information about the incident from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "It is wholly unacceptable to wrongfully detain U.S. citizens," Mayes said in a statement.
Mubashir Khalif Hussen
At a press conference on December 9, 2025, a man identifying himself as Mubashir stated ICE agents had chased him, put him in a choke hold and dragged and pushed him into a car even though he told them he was a U.S. citizen; video of the incident also showed bystanders confronting the agents. ICE then drove him to a federal building in Bloomington where they fingerprinted him. After showing ID he was released and told to walk home.Leticia Jacobo
Leticia Jacobo, a native of Phoenix, Arizona and member of the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community, was scheduled to be released from the Polk County Jail in Des Moines, Iowa after allegedly driving with a suspended license. On November 11, 2025, her family was told that she would be transferred to ICE custody for deportation because jail officials had issued a detainer under an agreement between the county and ICE. After her release, jail officials claimed the incident had been a clerical error.Christian Jimenez
ICE detained U.S. citizen Christian Jimenez, a 17-year-old high school senior, in McMinnville, Oregon on November 22, 2025. Jimenez was driving his father's car when ICE agents stopped him, broke the car window, and arrested him, despite his professions of U.S. citizenship. He was released later that day. His older brother, Cesar Jimenez, stated that authorities may be charging his brother with interference or obstruction of an investigation.Rodrick Johnson
U.S. citizen and military veteran Rodrick Johnson was detained by federal agents during a late night immigration raid on a building in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago on September 30, 2025. He was dragged from his home, zip-tied and detained by federal agents for nearly three hours before being released. Agents ignored his request for an attorney.Brad Lander
and former mayoral candidate Brad Lander has been detained by ICE twice. Lander had begun accompanying defendants to immigration hearings. On June 17, 2025, Lander was arrested and handcuffed by masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials at an immigration court while linking arms with a person ICE was trying to detain. The official reason provided for the arrest was "assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer," according to Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin, although Lander was later released saying that he "certainly did not" assault an officer. The arrest was quickly condemned by an array of Democratic politicians from the state, including New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.On September 18, 2025, Lander was arrested and detained by ICE agents in New York City, along with 14 other elected New York area officials, after being denied access to inspect prisoner holding cells, which courts have ruled unsanitary.
Kenny Laynez
Kenny Laynez, an 18-year-old U.S.-born citizen, was detained by Florida Highway Patrol and Border Patrol agents on May 2, 2025. The officers dragged Laynez and his coworkers out of their van, pushed Laynez to the pavement, and used a taser on one of his coworkers. His detention was recorded on video. When Laynez stated he was a U.S.-born citizen with rights, a Border Patrol officer replied, "You don't have any rights here. You are a 'Migo.'" Laynez resisted attempts to get him to surrender his phone and the recording of the arrest, which allowed him to preserve it. Laynez was released six hours later. Officers stated a $30,000 bonus was at stake, but did not clarify what bonus or why.Marcos Leao
On June 13, 2025, 27 year-old Marcos Leao, a U.S. citizen and army veteran, was detained at the Wilshire Federal Building by the United States Marines stationed there under orders from Donald Trump. The detention was confirmed to Reuters by the military. Leao was on his way to a Veterans Affairs office when he crossed a yellow-tape boundary and was stopped by Marines. Leao said he was treated "very fairly" and "They’re just doing their job."Elzon Lemus
Elzon Lemus, a 23-year-old Hispanic New Yorker, was stopped during his commute to his electrician job and detained in Westbury, New York by ICE officials saying they were looking for someone fitting his description in June 2025. Lemus refused to provide identification to the officials until they identified themselves, which they refused to do. Lemus explained that he didn't provide the officials ID because they were not dressed as police, he had not broken any laws, and he was just riding in a passenger seat of a vehicle. Lemus was then handcuffed and detained for 20–25 minutes and released after officials found his ID on his person. Lemus's attorney has accused ICE of violating Lemus's civil rights and arguing that Americans should not have to live under this type of harassment.Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez
Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez, an American citizen born in the United States and residing in Georgia, was traveling from his home to Florida for a construction job along with two other people on April 16, 2025. Their car was pulled over for a traffic stop by the Florida Highway Patrol for allegedly speeding. Lopez-Gomez, along with the driver and an additional passenger, were arrested and each charged with allegedly entering Florida as an "unauthorized alien" under Florida law SB 4-C.The government claims that Lopez-Gomez confessed that he was in the country illegally to authorities, but Lopez-Gomez disputes this claim insisting that he told the official he was an American citizen and provided a Social Security card and Georgia ID. Both Lopez-Gomez's mother and his community advocate presented Lopez-Gomez's birth certificate to Leon County Judge LaShawn Riggans, who deemed the birth certificate authentic. However, the judge said that there was nothing she could do to let him out of jail at that time, despite finding no probable cause to hold Lopez-Gomez.
Lopez-Gomez was detained in the Leon County Jail until he was released on April 17. The Florida Phoenix reported that the driver was being held by ICE. Alana Greer of the Community Justice Project—a Florida immigration advocacy group—described the experience as, "A series of horrors," and said that "o one should have been arrested under this law, let alone a U.S. citizen." Lopez-Gomez's attorney stated that this case is "a prime example of why everyone should care, because if it happens to Mr. Lopez-Gomez, a U.S.-born citizen, it can happen to anyone."
Jensy Machado
Naturalized U.S. citizen Jensy Machado and two other men were stopped and detained by ICE on March 5, 2025, while they were driving to work in Manassas, Virginia. The ICE officers had their guns out and said that they were looking for someone with a different name who had a deportation order and had given Machado's address as his own. Machado explained that he was not the man they were looking for and offered to show them his Real ID driver's license, but was told to keep his hands in the air and was then handcuffed. He was only released after officials viewed his driver's license. Machado said that he had thought ICE was only going to target criminals, but is instead assuming that all Hispanic people are in the country illegally. Machado also stated that he regretted voting for Trump.That month, Virginia senator Mark Warner wrote to DHS, "U.S. citizens interacting with ICE who seek to prove their identity with identification or other documents that would assist ICE in determining their identity and immigration status should be permitted to do so." He also asked the agency to answer several questions, such as whether the ICE officers identified themselves prior to pulling out their guns, and whether they had been "counseled or disciplined" for their actions.
Adrian Andrew Martinez
Adrian Andrew Martinez is an American citizen born in Los Angeles, who was detained outside of his job at a Wal-Mart by ICE in June 2025. Video footage showed "agents in tactical gear restraining Martinez as they wrestle him to the ground." Martinez was held incommunicado after the unidentified individuals abducted him, with officials denying any knowledge of Martinez's whereabouts. After a hearing on June 21, Martinez was released on a $5,000 bond and charged with alleged conspiracy to impede or injure an officer. His lawyers called this "a clearly trumped up charge filed to justify the federal agents' violent treatment of Adrian" and said that "Adrian did nothing wrong, and was standing up for an elderly janitorial worker when he was violently assaulted and abducted."Jose "Joey" Martinez
On January 5, 2026, Jose "Joey" Martinez and his wife, of Phoenix, Arizona, were sleeping in their room on a Carnival Cruise Line ship docked in Miami when Border Patrol agents entered their room and detained Martinez, taking him to a holding cell. Martinez is a naturalized citizen who was born to a member of the Air Force in Thailand. Martinez's wife, a naturalized citizen from Belgium, attempted to film his detention, but agents took her phone and forced Martinez to delete it. Martinez said agents told him he was flagged for having the same name as someone wanted for a crime.Marimar Martinez
Marimar Martinez, a 30-year old U.S. citizen of Chicago, was shot five times by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in the Brighton Park neighborhood of Chicago on October 4, 2025. Federal agents claimed that she was armed, had pointed her weapon at them and had attempted to box in their vehicle. According to her lawyer, bodycam footage conflicted with their statement, showing an agent saying "Do something, bitch," before agents ran into her vehicle and one fired at her. The lawyer said she had a gun in her purse in the passenger seat, never in her hand, and a concealed carry license in the state. She was not charged with a firearms charge.Martinez was taken to a local hospital in fair condition and discharged later that day before being charged with allegedly assaulting a federal officer. Protests broke out in the area of the shooting, and federal agents shot pepper balls and tear gas at the protesters. During the proceedings, it came out that the agent who shot her had bragged to other agents about leaving seven bullet holes in Martinez with five bullets. After the Department of Homeland Security had called her a terrorist multiple times, federal prosecutors moved to drop their own case, and the judge dismissed her charges with prejudice.
Sabrina Medina
U.S. citizen Sabrina Medina's home in Huntington Park, California was raided in June 2025 by ICE agents. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was present at the raid on Medina's home.ICE claimed to be in pursuit of Medina's husband, who is not a U.S. citizen. At the time, Medina's husband was not present at the home. Medina's young daughter, also a U.S. citizen, fled from ICE and escaped detention.
On August 6, 2025, ICE agents detained Medina, who was pregnant, for the second time and arrested her on a municipal level shoplifting allegation from 2013 as she left a medical clinic for a pregnancy check-up. The agents told Medina she would be released only if she turned in and surrendered her husband. Medina has no contact with her husband, and stated that the agents were using her as bait for him. The agents threatened to arrest other members of Medina's family unless she helped them detain her husband. ICE previously pursued and engaged Medina a total of four times until arresting her for the shoplifting warrant.
Ramon Menera
ICE agents detained Menera, an American citizen originally from Mexico, outside his Minneapolis home, accusing him of not being a citizen due to his accent. Menera was zip-tied by agents before being released.Merlos children (4)
Four U.S. citizen children in Oregon were held in detention by ICE for several weeks, beginning in June 2025. Kenia Merlos and her citizen children were detained while visiting Peace Arch State Park in Washington state; her husband was detained days later at their home. Merlos and family had been near the border to take Merlos's mother, lawfully visiting the U.S. and Canada from Honduras on authorized visas, so she could enter Canada to visit another family member during her trip. The children's mother is lawfully permitted to live in the United States through 2029 and was in the U visa application process.The family was denied access to lawyers by ICE. After two weeks of unconstitutional delays, they were allowed access to legal representation. Attorneys filed for an emergency judicial ruling on July 13, 2025. The U.S.-citizen children were released from custody by ICE after two weeks and given United States passports by the Federal government. United States federal judge Tana Lin ordered the U.S. government to stand down on any actions involving the family until she had time to review the case.
The situation was not known to the public until it was disclosed by U.S. Representative Maxine Dexter of Oregon, who became aware of the family's detention after being tipped off by personal contacts. The parents of the children remained in custody.
Elaine Miles
, a Native American actress known for her roles in Northern Exposure and other productions, was stopped by four masked ICE agents who were traveling in a vehicle without front license plates while walking to a bus stop in Redmond, Washington on November 26, 2025. The agents questioned her tribal identification card and, when she attempted to call the number on the card to verify her identity, tried to confiscate her phone.Francisco Miranda
U.S. citizen Francisco Miranda of Milwaukie, Oregon, was detained by ICE after being targeted outside of his workplace on October 2, 2025. Miranda sent a tort claim to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem through his attorney on October 6.Hugo Monteiro
Hugo Monteiro, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Brazil, was detained by ICE at the Massachusetts District Court in Medford in May 2025; Monteiro was detained prior to ICE agents identifying him.Daniel Montenegro
U.S. citizen Daniel Montenegro was detained by ICE in Van Nuys, California in the summer of 2025 while he was filming a raid. Montenegro stated that he was tackled by several agents, injuring his back. Gregory Bovino later tweeted out his name and the names of three others, accusing them of using homemade tire spikes to disable vehicles, a claim that Montenegro denied. He was later released without charges.Ruben Morales, Jr. and Jessie Olazaba
On October 25, 2025 in Aurora, Illinois, U.S. citizens Ruben Morales, Jr. and Jessi Olazaba were detained by ICE after they began filming them outside of an elementary school. Olazaba was cited for impeding arrest. Morales was released without charges.Jennifer Moriarty
On October 31, 2025, ICE caused a vehicle crash in Evanston, Illinois. They detained three citizens, including Jennifer Moriarty, who an ICE agent tackled to the ground after she started filming the confrontation. An ICE agent also punched a man repeatedly in the face and then knelt on a his back as a crowd called for them to stop. A DHS secretary later stated the man assaulted and kicked agents and grabbed an agent's genitals and would not let go. ICE agents also repeatedly pointed their weapons and pepper spray at the crowd, who were unarmed. Moriarty stated that the ICE agents drove her and the other two people who were detained around for several hours, attempting to cause other vehicles to hit theirs and threatening to mace them. She was released in downtown Chicago several hours later without charges. Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss said that the other two detainees were released.Abdikadir Noor
The ACLU of Minnesota alleges in a lawsuit that Abdikadir Noor, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Fridley, Minnesota, had the vehicle he was driving stopped and detained by ICE agents who disparaged his national origin.Julio Noriega
U.S. citizen and native Chicagoan Julio Noriega, who has a learning disability that affects his comprehension, was out looking for work, handing out his resume at local businesses in Berwyn, Illinois, on January 31, 2025. He stopped for a slice of pizza, and was grabbed from behind by ICE, arrested without probable cause, handcuffed, and driven away in a van with other detainees. ICE took "his phone and wallet, which held his Social Security card and driver's license." The people in the van were driven around for hours and eventually taken to an ICE processing center in Broadview, Illinois, where he was detained for at least 10 hours without being questioned, still handcuffed and without access to food, water, or a bathroom. He was released in the middle of the night after government officials checked his wallet and determined he was actually an American citizen. Mark Fleming, the associate director of litigation at the National Immigrant Justice Center, said that ICE then "just sent him out to the street, even though he had no money and had no idea where he was," nor a way to get home. ICE did not give Noriega any documentation of the arrest and detention, and later denied having any record of it, including body camera or other video.Hasan Piker
, a Turkish-American online streamer, YouTuber, influencer, and left-wing political commentator born in New Jersey and a natural-born citizen of the United States, was detained by ICE on May 11, 2025, at O'Hare International Airport. During his detention, Piker was asked a number of questions related to his political views, including about Trump, Israel, Hamas, and Houthis. Piker was asked, "Do you like Donald Trump?" The BBC News compared Piker's detention by Trump immigration officials to the detentions of Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Öztürk, who were detained by Trump officials for their political views.Angel Pina
Angel Pina was physically assaulted by ICE agents after they pursued him from a Stater Bros. store in Ontario, California in July 2025. Pina was detained by ICE, and ultimately sent to the hospital with a potential concussion and vomiting fits from this attack.Heidi Plummer
Heidi Plummer of Orange County, California, was arrested by ICE during a Juneteenth festival in Santa Ana. Plummer, an attorney and an American citizen of Ecuadorian ancestry, was detained during a mass apprehension of people of Hispanic background. Plummers attorney stated, "They're going in and just grabbing Latinos. It's a clear violation of these individuals' constitutional rights." An ICE spokesperson claimed, "ICE was not at that park that day, nor did they make any arrests there."Miguel Angel Ponce Jr.
On July 23, 2025, ICE agents demanded U.S. citizen Miguel Angel Ponce Jr. provide identification, and then immediately detained him. ICE agents claimed that Ponce had a "deportation order," despite Ponce having been born in College Station, Texas. Ponce was never provided a warrant and was instead shown a photograph of another man. ICE falsely claimed he was the other man, who was a violent child sex offender. After being released, Ponce was warned to alter his appearance by ICE, who told him, "Shave your beard off so we won't mistake you again."Rob Potylo
, aka "Robby Roadsteamer," a U.S. citizen and comedian from Massachusetts known for his anti-Trump song parodies, was arrested by ICE outside of an ICE facility in Portland, Oregon on October 15, 2025. He had been singing his parody songs in a giraffe outfit when ICE accused him of crossing a blue line in front of the facility that was off limits to protesters. Video footage contradicted ICE's statement, showing that Potylo was nowhere near the blue line. Potylo was detained for about an hour and released with a citation for failure to obey an officer of the law. He stated that he planned to file a lawsuit against ICE for wrongful arrest.Potylo was arrested a second time at a protest outside the ICE building in Fort Snelling, Minnesota on January 12, 2026. He was again wearing the giraffe outfit when agents arrested him. After his release, Potylo again stated he would file a lawsuit against ICE.
Aliya Rahman
U.S. citizen Rahman was driving to a doctor's appointment in Minneapolis when she encountered ICE agents at an intersection. One agent smashed her car window before others dragged her out of the vehicle. Rahman said she was denied medical treatment and lost consciousness while in custody. A DHS spokesperson stated that Rahman "ignored multiple commands by an officer to move her vehicle away from the scene."Javier Ramirez
Javier Ramirez, a U.S. citizen born in San Bernardino, California, was detained by ICE on June 13, 2025, during an ICE raid at his workplace in Montebello. Ramirez was tackled and detained after informing his coworkers that ICE had arrived, and targeted by the agents in response. The U.S. Attorney's Office stated that Ramirez is expected to be charged with allegedly assaulting a federal officer.Jose Roberto Ramirez
On the afternoon of January 8, 2026, ICE agents took U.S. citizen Jose Roberto Ramirez into custody in Robbinsdale, Minnesota. According to family members ICE agents assaulted him after asking for his identification, then handcuffed him and took him away. He was released later that afternoon. Ramirez was born in Minneapolis; his father is from Mexico and his mother is a member of the Red Lake Nation.Kristina Ramirez
Chicago resident and U.S. citizen, Kristina Ramirez, was detained on May 28, 2025 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, along with her husband, who has a pending U.S. visa application. While on a business trip in Michigan, Ramirez and her husband Sergio Serna Ramirez mistakenly approached the Canadian border after a wrong turn in their car. Kristina claims she was held for three days. A CBP spokesperson countered, "CBP has no indication Mrs. Ramirez was held for three days." Her husband was transferred to an ICE facility. According to Mr. Ramirez, he was detained for three months before he decided to self-deport to Mexico at the advice of his lawyer.George Retes
George Retes, a disabled United States military veteran and U.S. citizen, was detained by ICE agents during a raid on a farm in California on July 10, 2025. Retes identified himself as a United States citizen and employee of the farm that was raided by ICE agents. Retes was then pepper sprayed, tear gassed, his car window smashed, and he was removed from his vehicle at gunpoint by ICE agents. ICE agents physically tackled Retes despite his American citizenship.During his detention, Retes was denied any phone call to notify anyone of his whereabouts, and was denied legal representation. While in ICE custody, Retes was denied medical treatment and forced to be covered in chemical weapons residue. Retes remained missing and his whereabouts unknown through July 12, 2025. He was released without charges on Sunday, July 13. The office of U.S. House member Pramila Jayapal confirmed that Retes was held without access to legal representation and without charges for three days.
Ricardo Antonio Roman-Flores and Emilio Roman-Flores
The Roman-Flores twins, both U.S. citizens, were arrested December 9, 2025 after allegedly threatening to kill a Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary and calling for violence against immigration agents. The twins called to “shoot ICE on sight” on social media. They were arrested during a joint operation between DHS and the Absecon Police Department SWAT team. Emilio's charges include unlawful possession of an assault weapon, possession of prohibited weapons, conspiracy to make terroristic threats, criminal coercion, threats and cyber harassment.Ricardo is charged with alleged conspiracy to make terroristic threats. Both were taken to Absecon Police Department.
Adrian Ruiz and Edgar Ruiz
In September 2025, ICE detained Edgar and Adrian Ruiz, both U.S. citizens, while blocking their truck outside a local 7-Eleven store in Des Plaines, Illinois. ICE was attempting to capture Ruiz's father, an undocumented immigrant. During the incident, then-unidentified masked and armed men swarmed their vehicle, and Ruiz held the door closed in self-defense. Both brothers ran. Federal agents then tasered Ruiz "in the face" and detained him as nearby people "ran for their lives". The father did not run and was taken into custody.Isaias Pena Salcedo
In the city of Bell, California, United States citizen, Isaias Pena Salcedo was detained as he walked near a crowd of people protesting an immigration raid in June 2025. No reason was given for his arrest and detention and Pena Salcedo states that he gave the officers his passport but they paid no attention or did not care as officers in masks arrested him and took him away in an unmarked car. It took his family and friends over 8 hours to locate him and he spent 70 hours in detention, including two vehicle transfers and three days in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles.Pena Salcedo reported that he and relatives were walking to get supplies for a birthday party when they came upon the crowd in front of Jack's Carwash and Detailing. As they walked, an unmarked immigration vehicle came through the parking lot close to Pena Salcedo. In videos on social media, Pena Salcedo can be seen in front of the vehicle as it approaches wherein he closes his fist and quickly taps it on the hood of the car in the crowd of people. He can be seen in the video immediately surrounded and taken away by masked officers with guns.
During his 70 hours in detention, Pena Salcedo reports that conditions were very poor. There were three people in his cell but only one mattress while the other two beds were bare metal bunks. He also said there was little food and he could not receive funds from his family for any supplies like a toothbrush. Pena Salcedo was also denied a call to his family. Immediately following his release, he still had not received word if he would be charged with any crime.
Rafie Shouhed
Rafie Shouhed, a U.S. citizen and car wash owner in Van Nuys, California, was detained by ICE agents on September 17, 2025. KNBC reported video showed Shouhed knocked to the ground by ICE agents in his business. After, when he went to speak with the agents, he was knocked down again, handcuffed, detained, and taken with his staff to a Federal facility. Shouhed was later released but his detained staff remained missing.Barbara Stone
Barbara Stone, a 71-year old ICE observer in San Diego and U.S. citizen, was handcuffed, injured, and detained by ICE agents for eight hours on July 8, 2025. In recorded videos, a group of masked men pursued her, detained her, and took Stone's possessions, claiming she assaulted an officer. ICE agents refused to return her cellular phone; Stone reported ICE compared it to keeping a drug dealer's phone.ChongLy "Scott" Thao
Thao, a Hmong-American naturalized citizen originally from Laos, was detained by ICE agents during a raid on his home. Thao was singing karaoke when federal agents arrived and detained him. The DHS said they were targeting two convicted sex offenders but the Thao family only knew one of them, the ex-husband of a family member, and he no longer resided at the home. DHS said Thao was detained because he refused to be fingerprinted or facially identified. Thao was in his underwear and was covered by his grandson's blanket and was led out of his home in his underwear during his arrest.Susan Tincher
55-year-old Susan Tincher was arrested shortly after 6:30 a.m. in the Willard-Hay neighborhood of Minneapolis on December 9, 2025. Tincher was confronting agents who arrested three of her neighbors when agents surrounded and arrested her, placing her in a van. She was held in the Whipple Federal Building in Fort Snelling, Minnesota for five hours before being released. ICE stated Tincher was arrested after she assaulted a federal agent, tried to pass through a security perimeter, ignored commands, and became violent. Tincher said she will be charged with alleged obstruction.Fernando Vazquez
Fernando Vazquez, an 18-year-old U.S. citizen, was detained by Border Patrol in November 2025 while he was at work in Cary, North Carolina. The agents detained him in their van, took him roughly down the street, and then released him after realizing that he was a citizen. The agents also threw his wallet and other personal items on the ground, causing Vazquez to lose several personal items. Vazquez believes that he was targeted because he is Latino. Another Hispanic man, who was not released, asked Vazquez to contact his brother for him, which Vazquez said "broke heart."Andrea Vélez
U.S. citizen Andrea Vélez was arrested by ICE agents in Los Angeles on June 24, 2025. Vélez was detained moments after leaving a car to be dropped off at work in downtown, and forced into unmarked vehicles by masked men, who spoke to her in Spanish. Family members of Vélez were unable to locate or discover her whereabouts for days. Vélez was detained for a total of two days after being detained by ICE agents. ICE agents did not question Vélez about any citizenship status until after she was already physically detained and "carried away". For 24 hours of her detention, Vélez was denied access to drinking water. Vélez was charged with allegedly assaulting a federal officer and released on bail. Her case was dismissed by the U.S. Department of Justice.Leonardo Garcia Venegas
American-born citizen Leonardo Garcia Venegas was detained in a vehicle following an immigration raid in Foley, Alabama, in May 2025. He was subsequently released after giving authorities his Social Security number. Garcia's brother, who is not a U.S. citizen, was arrested during the raid. According to Garcia and his cousin, the authorities conducting the raid saw Garcia's REAL ID and called it fake before detaining him. The dismissal of Garcia's Real ID as fake was identified as racial profiling. On September 30 the Institute for Justice filed a class action lawsuit naming defendants including the U.S. and the unnamed agents who arrested and detained Garcia. The lawsuit asked for damages for assault, battery and false arrest for Garcia; a declaration that the ICE policies leading up to them were unconstitutional, arbitrary and capricious; and an injunction against applying them against Garcia and anyone in a similar situation.William Vermie
On January 13, 2026, Iraq War veteran William Vermie was detained by ICE agents while observing an arrest. Vermie said that while in custody, he repeatedly asked to make a phone call but was not allowed one. His attorney said he was not allowed to see Vermie because Vermie had not requested him by name."Blue" Wong
San Diego resident and U.S. citizen "Blue" Wong was detained by ICE on July 2, 2025. Wong was detained while observing a protest targeting ICE immigration raids in Linda Vista. In an Instagram video, Wong pushes into caution tape in front of ICE agents when one physically shoves her before detaining her. Wong did not disclose her first name to Times of San Diego "to level the playing field." Wong was transported to a holding facility and placed in solitary confinement.Unidentified citizens
A number of detained U.S. citizens are unidentified or unknown by name.Arizona citizens
A U.S. Marshal was detained by ICE in Arizona in the summer of 2025 after officers mistakenly thought he was another person.California citizens
Disabled teen
On August 11, 2025, Border Patrol in Arleta, Los Angeles detained at gunpoint a disabled 15-year-old who was a United States citizen. The detained teen was described as having "significant disabilities" by Alberto M. Carvalho, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District.DHS officials claimed the U.S.-born disabled teen was from El Salvador, a "MS-13 gang member with a previous gun-related conviction," an adult, and that the family asked Border Patrol to detain the teen. LAUSD activated a "safe passage for students" plan to enhance all school bus services to cover any child. The school district has requested federal agents to honor a few block radius no-enforcement zone around each school.
Los Angeles citizens (38)
On July 23, 2025, the Los Angeles Times reported that as of that date at least 38 citizens in the city had been detained and arrested by ICE, with Trump administration officials attempting to secure grand jury indictments against them for various alleged offenses.Camarillo citizens (4)
At least 4 U.S. citizens were detained by ICE in a raid on a cannabis farm on July 10, 2025. DHS stated that those arrested were "resisting or assaulting officers," but it is unclear how many of those arrested were protesting the raid and how many were employed at the farm.Illinois citizens
An unnamed Chicago-area citizen was detained by ICE agents in the early weeks of the second Trump administration.In September 2025, a U.S. citizen of Chicago and his father, who is not a citizen, were both detained for several hours at the ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois. The U.S. citizen was released, but the father remains in ICE detention out of state.
Four children who are U.S. citizens were detained by federal agents during a late night immigration raid on a building in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago on September 30, 2025. They were dragged from their homes, zip-tied and detained by federal agents "until they could be placed in the care of guardians". Reports on the raid stated that some children were taken from the building while naked.
A 21-year old U.S. citizen was detained by U.S. Border Patrol in a vehicle in Chicago on October 4, 2025 after they rammed into his car, following an incident where federal agents shot a woman.
A U.S. citizen with the first name "Angel" was grabbed off the street and pulled into a vehicle by U.S. Border Patrol agents in the South Chicago neighborhood of Chicago on October 15, 2025. The incident was captured on his cousin's ring camera. After interrogating him, agents dropped him off a half a mile away from where they had pulled him into the vehicle.
On October 25, 2025, ICE deployed tear gas in the Chicago neighborhoods of Old Irving Park and Avondale, in violation of a court order handed down on October 9. Three people were arrested, including two U.S. citizens, and an agent violently pushed a woman to the ground. A DHS secretary stated that the "two U.S. citizens were arrested for assaulting and impeding a federal officer." A children's Halloween parade was disrupted as a result.
On October 31, 2025, ICE detained at least three U.S. citizens in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago. One citizen was accused of assaulting a federal agent.
Key Largo behavioral therapist
A video on December 3, 2025, showed DHS agents detaining a woman in medical scrubs in Key Largo, Florida as she screamed that she was a U.S. citizen. The DHS claimed the woman had refused commands to roll down her window during a traffic stop, leading agents to drag her out of her vehicle. Agents released her after verifying her identity. The [Miami Herald] interviewed the woman, a behavioral therapist who was driving to work. The woman refuted the DHS's claim that she did not roll her window down. The woman was driving her boyfriend’s car. A law enforcement source stated he is in the country illegally.Massachusetts citizens
On September 26, 2025, ICE agents detained two U.S. citizen children of legal resident Hilda Ramirez Sanan as she accompanied her brother-in-law to a court hearing in Chelsea, MA. The agents broke out the drivers' side windows of the car Ramirez Sanan was driving, handcuffed her, tried to pull her 13-year-old son who is on the autism spectrum from the car and repeatedly questioned him as to his legal status. After local police asked ICE to check their identification, they were released.Minnesota citizens
A Minnesota-born Somali American woman was arrested by ICE near the Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis on December 3, 2025, according to her family. The woman's cousin said ICE agents touched her inappropriately and mocked her hijab. She was let go after her husband showed authorities her passport card.On December 13, 2025, ICE agents stopped the U.S.-citizen son of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar as he was driving away from a local Target store. Earlier, Omar's son had been praying in a local mosque when ICE agents entered. They left without incident. He was released after showing the U.S. passport Omar said he "always carries."
The Minnesota Council on American-Islamic Relations reported it had received many calls from U.S. citizens who ICE had arrested or detained during its operations directed against Somalis and others in Minneapolis.
On January 7, 2026, two employees of a Target store in Richfield were detained at the store's entrance. Both employees are U.S. citizens.
Four members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe were detained by ICE in Minneapolis on January 8, 2026. The four men, all homeless, were detained under a bridge. One of the men was released after a 12-hour hold. As of January 14, 2026, the remaining three were located at the ICE detention center at Fort Snelling, the same place where the U.S. government imprisoned hundreds of Indigenous Americans during and after the Dakota War of 1862. Nick Estes, a professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota and member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, called the Oglala tribal members' detention at Fort Snelling "a continuation on the monopoly of violence" and stated that the location has an "anti-Indigenous, specifically anti-Dakota, history."
New Jersey citizens
Trump ICE officials raided Ocean Seafood Depot in Newark, New Jersey on January 23, 2025, and arrested several U.S. citizens, including military veterans, for claimed immigration violations. The owner of Ocean Seafood Depot confirmed the American citizens, including the military veteran, were arrested by ICE for not being able to immediately prove they were U.S. citizens with any form of papers.Rhode Island courthouse intern
In November 2025, a high school student and U.S. citizen employed as an intern at the Rhode Island Superior Court was detained outside the courthouse in Providence. The intern notified security that someone was taking photos of him; when questioned, the man identified himself as an ICE agent. As an associate judge prepared to drive the intern to his high school, agents surrounded the car and detained the intern. He was released after agents verified his identity.Wisconsin Puerto Rican family (3)
In January 2026, family of U.S. citizens from Puerto Rico were detained in a Milwaukee, Wisconsin department store after ICE agents overheard them speaking Spanish. The family members—a toddler, the child's mother, and the child's grandmother—were all born in Puerto Rico. All people born in Puerto Rico, like those born elsewhere in the United States, are automatically American citizens and lawfully allowed to freely travel anywhere within the country with immunity to immigration controls. The family was denied access to legal representation during their detention. ICE later released the family and apologized for their detention and removal attempt, but left them stranded at the detention center.Targeted demographics
Hispanic and Latino
ICE and the Federal government have been accused of specifically targeting Hispanic and Latino members of society, regardless of their citizenship or immigration status. Numerous Latino and Hispanic citizens of the United States have been detained for up to ten days as of July 9, 2025.90% of targeted individuals were confirmed to be of Latin American heritage directly from analysis of data obtained from ICE officials.
Navajo Nation
All Navajo people born within the United States are U.S. citizens due to the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 and the United States Constitution. According to the Navajo Nation, over a dozen indigenous people had been questioned, detained, or asked to provide proof of citizenship by federal law enforcement during immigration raids in January 2025. In some cases, ICE officers were not aware that Certificates of Degree of Indian Blood are proof of citizenship, and one person was detained for nine hours. In another case, eight Native Americans were detained for two hours after their workplace was raided. Their phones were confiscated, and one Navajo woman reported that she was not able to provide proof of citizenship until her phone was returned and she was able to text family, one of whom sent a copy of the woman's CDIB.Enough Navajos have been stopped by immigration authorities that the nation created a guide with tips about what to do if stopped, encouraging people to always carry identification and that families alert their children about what to do, including having them memorize their Social Security numbers. Other tribes have also issued tips and warnings, and Native News Online published an article, "Native Americans and Immigration Enforcement–Know Your Rights." Navajo Arizona state senator Theresa Hatathlie suggested that tribes contact DHS to share what their travel enrollment card and CDIB look like.
Puerto Ricans
Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens as established by the Jones-Shafroth Act, which made Puerto Rico a U.S. territory. In spite of their citizenship, ICE raids detained and arrested Puerto Ricans under the second Trump administration in multiple incidents. In one, a U.S. military veteran from Puerto Rico was detained on January 23, 2025, after an ICE raid at a seafood warehouse in Newark, New Jersey. The veteran worked there as a warehouse manager. The co-owner of the business said that ICE appeared to be targeting people who look Hispanic, while ignoring his white employees.In another notable incident, three members of a Puerto Rican family were taken to a detention center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on January 27, 2025, after an immigration officer heard one of them speaking Spanish. They were released prior to processing when they provided documentation. The detentions led to a significant upswing in passport requests from Puerto Ricans to provide documentation to satisfy immigration officers.
Responses by U.S. officials
Democratic Party
In response to early reports of American citizens being detained, two Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee, Jamie Raskin and Pramila Jayapal, wrote Kristi Noem, the DHS secretary, and Caleb Vitello, the acting director of ICE enforcement, asking them to provide information about citizen detention. The February letter noted that ICE does not have authority to detain citizens, and stressed the importance of keeping "the escalating government assault on immigrants from becoming a steamroller that crushes the rights of American citizens."Democratic Party U.S. House member Pramila Jayapal on July 16, 2025, introduced to Congress the "Stop ICE from Kidnapping U.S. Citizens Act", which would bar ICE from detaining or deporting U.S. citizens. The bill would also apply penalties to ICE for illegal detention of American citizens, but was seen as unlikely to become law under a Republican-controlled Congress and with Donald Trump as president.
Democratic House member Ted Lieu stated it was "batshit crazy" that laws needed to be introduced to prevent ICE from deporting U.S. citizens.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared her state "will not back down" and called the arrest of American citizens for immigration reasons "bullshit."
Republican Party
United States conservatives and Republican Party members gave conflicting and contradictory statements on the detentions of American citizens, either endorsing, confirming or denying the practice. Tricia McLaughlin of the Department of Homeland Security claimed reports of citizens being arrested were false and used to "demonize ICE agents," denying any detention of U.S. citizens. Meanwhile, Trump's border czar Tom Homan confirmed citizens were being detained and arrested by ICE.In May 2025, Republicans blocked a measure in the One [Big Beautiful Bill Act] that would have stopped ICE from detaining or deporting U.S. citizens.
Troy Nehls
Republican House member Troy Nehls accused media and the public of overstating the crisis of citizens being detained by ICE. Nehls stated American citizens should carry documentation to prove citizenship, saying "Well, maybe people can't prove that they're American citizens, either, have the documentation."Ralph Norman
Republican House member Ralph Norman stated that he was not concerned with the matter of American citizens being detained by ICE and disputed to journalists that it has happened.Tommy Tuberville
Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville stated that U.S. citizens detained by ICE were at fault, saying mistakes are going to happen, and that citizens being arrested was a consequence of associating with non-citizens. Tuberville further stated, "Don't hang around illegals."Responses by other parties
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union, among other cases, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in Los Angeles over the matter of U.S. citizens being detained and assaulted by ICE agents. Among the court findings that were noted included:The appeals court upheld a ban on these tactics in that lawsuit.