Has ICE deported naturalized United States citizens?
Executive summary
Government watchdogs and multiple reporting find that ICE has, at times, arrested, detained and even deported people later determined to be U.S. citizens — including naturalized citizens — with a Government Accountability Office (GAO) analysis finding up to 70 citizens deported between 2015–2020 and advocacy groups and members of Congress calling for investigation into continuing incidents [1] [2]. Federal agencies deny systematic deportation of citizens, with DHS and ICE asserting they do not arrest or deport U.S. citizens while disputing some news accounts [3] [4].
1. The central question: has ICE ever deported U.S. citizens?
Yes. Multiple independent analyses and legal advocates report that ICE and CBP have deported U.S. citizens in error. A GAO-based tally cited by the American Immigration Council and other outlets reports that 70 people identified as U.S. citizens were deported between 2015 and 2020; GAO also found thousands more misidentified as potentially removable, with hundreds detained [1]. The ACLU has documented cases in which U.S. citizen children were reportedly deported in fast-moving field actions [5].
2. How do federal agencies respond to those findings?
DHS and ICE publicly maintain that they do not arrest or deport U.S. citizens and emphasize operational safeguards and higher detention standards; DHS issued a rebuttal contesting certain media reports and stating “ICE does NOT arrest or deport U.S. citizens” [3]. ICE’s statistics pages describe detention and removal dashboards by country of citizenship and say field offices are expected to verify status, but critics argue record‑keeping and training are inconsistent [4] [1].
3. Where do the discrepancies come from?
Investigations point to several structural causes: flawed or inconsistent record‑keeping, training gaps about handling claims of citizenship, racial profiling and misidentification, and rapid operational decisions that bypass court review, per the GAO review and legal advocacy groups [1] [5]. Congressmembers including Rep. Dan Goldman and Sen. Elizabeth Warren have pressed DHS for formal investigations, saying agency acknowledgements reflect a longstanding pattern now intensifying under current enforcement priorities [2].
4. Naturalized citizens specifically — can they be stripped of citizenship and deported?
Legal analyses and immigration lawyers note a key distinction: a naturalized citizen can be denaturalized through court processes if the government proves fraud or other disqualifying conduct; only after lawful revocation of citizenship could deportation proceed against someone who reverts to non‑citizen status [6] [7]. But advocates and litigation show that some deportations of people later confirmed to be citizens occurred without prior lawful denaturalization, indicating administrative errors or rights violations rather than lawful denaturalization processes [1] [5].
5. Human stories and litigation: what has happened on the ground?
Groups such as the ACLU and news outlets document rapid deportations that left families unable to consult lawyers or courts, including examples of U.S. citizen children removed without access to medication and families shifted out of the country before relief petitions could be heard [5]. Reporting and congressional letters also describe citizens detained for days without phone or counsel, and communities responding by carrying passports out of fear — a social consequence that adds to public alarm [8] [2].
6. Competing narratives and official limits of the record
There are competing narratives: DHS/ICE dispute specific media accounts and assert operational safeguards and verification steps [3] [4]. At the same time, GAO findings and civil‑liberties organizations document measurable instances of deportation and thousands of misidentifications. Available sources show both official denials of policy to deport citizens and documented incidents where citizens were nevertheless deported or detained; neither side is fully comprehensive in the public record [3] [1] [5].
7. What lawmakers and advocates are asking for next
Lawmakers have demanded investigations, records and briefings from DHS about how many citizens have been stopped, detained or removed and what training and safeguards exist; at least one member of Congress has proposed legislation to prohibit ICE targeting of U.S. citizens and protect against wrongful detentions [2] [9]. Advocates call for better data, stronger supervisory checks when citizenship is claimed, and accountability in cases where mistakes cause deportation [1] [5].
Limitations: available sources do not provide a single definitive, up‑to‑date count of all incidents after 2020; they present GAO-era statistics, agency denials, congressional requests, and litigation/advocacy accounts that sometimes conflict [1] [3] [2]. Readers should weigh GAO and advocacy documentation of actual deportations alongside DHS public statements denying systematic deportation of citizens.