Are we arresting us citizens and deporting them
Executive summary
Yes: reporting and court records show that U.S. citizens have been detained — and in documented cases, wrongfully deported — by immigration authorities in recent years, though the full scale is uncertain because ICE and CBP lack reliable, consistent records and oversight [1] [2]. Officials including DHS dispute some media accounts and say arrests of citizens are not the intent of targeted operations, creating a contested factual and political landscape [3] [4].
1. How to read the question: what “arresting U.S. citizens and deporting them” actually means
The user is asking whether American citizens are being caught up in immigration enforcement and expelled from the country; that can refer to brief detentions, prolonged incarceration in immigration jails, or final removals (deportations) — and sources document examples across that spectrum rather than claiming an unambiguous, system-wide policy to deport citizens [5] [2].
2. The documented cases: confirmed wrongful detentions and some deportations
Multiple investigative reports, court filings and advocacy groups have documented instances where people who were U.S. citizens were detained by ICE or CBP and in some cases deported before their status was vindicated; advocates and judges have described wrongful removals, and at least one citizen who was deported has settled a claim against the federal government [2] [5] [6].
3. The scale: evidence points to nontrivial but poorly quantified numbers
Independent analyses and watchdog work suggest thousands of mistaken citizenship identifications — TRAC data cited estimates of at least 2,840 U.S. citizens wrongly identified in ICE records — and the Government Accountability Office reported that neither ICE nor CBP maintain adequate systems to determine how many citizens are being targeted, leaving the true scale unknown [1].
4. How and why it happens: operational failures, policy pressure, and legal gaps
Reported causes include inconsistent training and procedures for citizenship claims, reliance on flawed data and local partnerships, and an enforcement environment that prioritizes mass arrests and removals; civil-society groups and legal observers argue those factors, plus limits on counsel and procedural safeguards, make wrongful detention and removal more likely [1] [7] [8].
5. The counter-narrative: DHS and political messaging
DHS and administration spokespeople have repeatedly denied systematic deportation of citizens and published statements countering specific news reports, saying enforcement operations are targeted and that officers are trained to verify citizenship before removal; the administration simultaneously touts large deportation totals and expanded enforcement as policy achievements, heightening political contention over how many errors exist and why [3] [9] [4].
6. Legal and democratic implications, and where reporting converges
Courts, members of Congress, and watchdogs have demanded investigations into wrongful detentions and removals, and judges have criticized government obstruction in litigated cases — indicating that while some incidents are clearly established in the record, systemic answers require better data, oversight and corrective action that sources say are currently inadequate [2] [10] [1].
Conclusion — direct answer
Yes: U.S. citizens have been arrested by immigration authorities and, in documented instances, have been wrongfully deported, but the number and frequency remain contested because ICE and CBP do not reliably track citizenship errors and the administration disputes some reporting; the evidence supports confirmed cases and systemic vulnerabilities that demand independent investigation and stronger safeguards [1] [2] [3].