Have there been any instances of ICE detaining or deporting US citizens by mistake?
Executive summary
Reports and investigations show that ICE has in multiple instances detained—and in a smaller number of cases deported—people later identified as U.S. citizens; a Government Accountability Office–cited window found as many as 70 potential U.S. citizens deported between 2015–2020 and ProPublica has documented over 170 cases of citizens held by immigration agents [1] [2]. The federal government and lawmakers now dispute scope and causes: DHS denies systematic deportation of citizens [3], while members of Congress and watchdogs demand investigations into what they describe as a growing pattern under recent enforcement policies [4].
1. Historical record: documented mistakes exist
Multiple independent investigations and watchdog reports establish that U.S. citizens have been mistakenly arrested, detained and in some cases deported: the GAO-era tally cited by the American Immigration Council identified 70 potential citizen deportations from 2015–2020 and 674 arrests of potential citizens in that window [1]. ProPublica’s compilation, summarized by OPB, has found more than 170 cases in which agents held people identified as U.S. citizens [2]. These figures show the problem is not merely anecdotal.
2. What DHS and ICE say in public: categorical denial vs. narrow defenses
The Department of Homeland Security has publicly pushed back against reporting that frames the agency as deporting U.S. citizens, asserting ICE “does not arrest or detain U.S. [citizens]” as agency policy and contending enforcement is targeted and vetted [3]. That claim sits uneasily beside the watchdog counts and GAO-related figures: DHS emphasizes training and standards for verifying status, while critics point to case compilations and congressional letters alleging repeated failures [3] [4].
3. Lawmakers and advocates demand accountability
A bipartisan group of legislators led by Rep. Dan Goldman and Sen. Elizabeth Warren urged internal DHS investigations after reports of wrongful detentions and deportations tied to aggressive enforcement policies, explicitly asking whether DHS tracks how many U.S. citizens are stopped, detained or deported and pointing to “a growing pattern” of civil‑rights violations [4]. Rep. Pramila Jayapal introduced legislation to bar ICE targeting of citizens and described multiple recent incidents in which citizens were wrongfully held or deported [5]. Their actions frame the issue as policy‑driven, not merely clerical error.
4. How mistakes happen, according to reporting and legal groups
Reporting and legal guides note repeated mechanisms for error: outdated or incorrect records, misidentification, database problems, and pressure during mass sweeps that can lead to citizens being held until status is verified [6] [7]. Legal clinics and advocates say ICE sometimes holds individuals “until it can confirm” citizenship, and when citizens lack immediate documentation they may face temporary detention [6] [7]. Available sources do not mention a single universal cause; rather they point to multiple operational failures.
5. Scale and context: enforcement surge increases risk
News outlets and data summaries show a marked surge in ICE arrests and detention numbers tied to intensified enforcement cycles; The Guardian and Axios reporting place recent enforcement at historically high operational tempo, which advocates say raises the risk that people with legal status will be swept up alongside undocumented individuals [8] [9]. That operational pressure is central to lawmakers’ concerns that safeguards may be eroding even as the agency insists on vetting [4] [3].
6. Human consequences and legal remedies
First-person and court reporting describe serious harms: wrongful detention for days, family separations, medical neglect in custody, and difficulty securing redress—some individuals have pursued litigation but won limited remedies [2] [10] [1]. Legal and advocacy organizations urge rapid verification, access to counsel, and post‑release remedies; members of Congress have requested detailed DHS briefings and records to determine whether policy changes or failures in record‑keeping are to blame [4] [5].
7. Competing narratives and unresolved questions
A clear split exists in the record: watchdogs and advocates present documented case counts and trend warnings [1] [2], while DHS publicly disputes characterizations that it is deporting citizens and points to internal procedures designed to prevent that outcome [3]. Key unresolved questions—Does DHS centrally track all citizen stops and outcomes? Have policy changes since 2025 increased such incidents?—are the very items congressional investigators have demanded but which available sources say remain incompletely answered [4].
8. Bottom line for readers
Available, vetted reporting establishes that U.S. citizens have been mistakenly detained and a smaller number potentially deported; watchdog totals and GAO‑derived estimates quantify the problem while DHS disputes the characterization of routine deportation of citizens and insists on targeting and verification procedures [1] [2] [3]. Whether these incidents represent rare errors, a growing pattern tied to enforcement priorities, or both is the central debate now being pursued in Congress and by journalists [4] [9].