Fact check: Is Ice deporting US citizens and Immigrants?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, ICE is indeed conducting extensive deportation operations targeting immigrants, with enforcement activities significantly escalating under the Trump administration. ICE arrests of migrants without criminal records have surged nearly 200 percent, with 37 percent of ICE arrests in July 2025 being people with no U.S. criminal convictions or pending charges ^[1].

ICE has conducted raids in major cities across the U.S., including targeted enforcement operations such as arrests in Home Depot parking lots, as part of the Trump administration's prioritized mass deportation campaign ^[2]. The administration has also intentionally terminated statutorily authorized legal pathways, creating a larger undocumented population to target for deportation ^[3].

Regarding U.S. citizens, the situation is more complex. The Department of Homeland Security officially states that ICE does not deport U.S. citizens ^[4]. However, ICE has arrested U.S. citizens during worksite enforcements and other mass arrests ^[3], and there are documented cases of mistaken detention, including a 15-year-old U.S. citizen who was mistakenly detained by Border Patrol agents due to mistaken identity ^[5].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks crucial context about the scale and targeting of current enforcement operations. The analyses reveal that ICE has received 100,000 applications from Americans volunteering to help remove what they characterize as "murderers, gang members, pedophiles, and terrorists" ^[6], suggesting significant public support for enforcement actions.

Multiple documented cases of mistaken identity and wrongful detention provide important context missing from the simple yes/no framing. These include Christopher Martinez, a 31-year-old man facing deportation despite living in the U.S. for years due to mistaken identity ^[7], and Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador despite having protected legal status ^[8].

The Trump administration's systematic approach to immigration enforcement involves not just deportations but also restricting access to asylum, increasing enforcement operations, and deporting immigrants to countries with poor human rights records ^[9]. This broader policy context significantly impacts how enforcement operations function.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question's framing as "Is ICE deporting US citizens and Immigrants?" contains potential bias through its simplistic binary structure. The conflation of U.S. citizens with immigrants in a single question obscures the significant legal and practical differences between these categories.

While ICE officially does not deport U.S. citizens ^[4], the documented cases of mistaken detention and wrongful deportation ^{[5] [7] [8]} suggest that errors in the system can affect citizens. The question fails to acknowledge this nuanced reality where official policy differs from documented incidents of mistaken enforcement.

The question also lacks context about the dramatic increase in enforcement targeting individuals without criminal records ^[1], which represents a significant policy shift that affects how deportation operations function. Organizations like the American Immigration Council and immigration advocacy groups would benefit from highlighting enforcement overreach, while the Trump administration and its supporters benefit from emphasizing public safety aspects of enforcement operations ^[6].