Fact check: How many US citizens have been mistakenly deported by ICE?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the available analyses, ICE has mistakenly deported at least 70 US citizens between 2015 and 2020, according to data from the American Immigration Council ^[1]. The same source indicates that during this period, 674 potential US citizens were arrested by ICE, 121 were detained, and 70 were ultimately deported ^[1]. However, the true number may be significantly higher due to incomplete record-keeping.

The analyses reveal several specific cases that illustrate this problem:

• Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a US citizen who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador and is now facing potential deportation to Uganda ^{[2] [3] [4]}
• Three US citizen children who were sent to Honduras with their deported mothers, including a boy with cancer ^[5]

Multiple sources confirm that Abrego Garcia's case is not isolated, with references to "other cases of erroneous deportations" ^[6], suggesting the problem extends beyond the documented 70 cases.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks several crucial pieces of context:

• The timeframe matters significantly - the documented 70 cases occurred specifically between 2015-2020 ^[1], but deportations of US citizens likely occurred before and after this period
• Record-keeping limitations mean the actual number is likely higher than reported, as the American Immigration Council notes the true number "may be higher due to incomplete records" ^[1]
• Different types of cases exist, including US citizen children who are swept up with deported parents ^[5] and adults who face complex immigration status issues ^{[2] [3] [4]}
• Administrative errors play a significant role, with ICE acknowledging "administrative error" in at least one documented case ^[6]

The Department of Homeland Security appears to dispute some claims, as evidenced by a dropped ACLU lawsuit over "false claims that ICE deported U.S. citizens" ^[7], suggesting there may be disagreement about the scope and nature of these deportations.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself is not biased or misleading - it's a straightforward factual inquiry. However, the question's simplicity may inadvertently obscure the complexity of the issue:

• The question assumes clear-cut "mistakes" when some cases involve complex legal situations where citizenship status may be disputed or unclear
• It doesn't account for different categories of wrongful deportations, such as US citizen children accompanying deported parents versus adults with disputed citizenship status
• The framing doesn't acknowledge data limitations that make providing a definitive answer challenging

The available data suggests that while documented cases exist, the full scope of US citizen deportations remains unclear due to incomplete record-keeping and ongoing legal disputes about what constitutes wrongful deportation.