Washington Post description of known US citizens detained and affected so far….
As the Trump administration races to fulfill its promise of mass deportations, over a dozen U.S. citizens have already been swept up in the immigration crackdown.
The cases have alarmed attorneys, civil rights advocates and immigration scholars, who warn that citizens are becoming increasingly vulnerable in a system moving faster and operating with fewer safeguards, The Washington Post
previously reported.
Yet the true scope remains unknown because the federal government does not release data on how often U.S. citizens are wrongfully detained or even removed from the country. Since the creation of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2003, investigations have found the agency has detained, removed or issued detainers for thousands of U.S. citizens. A
2011 studyestimated that citizens make up roughly 1 to 1.5 percent of all removals.
When reached by The Post, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said: “We don’t have data to provide you on the deportation of U.S. citizens because we don’t deport U.S. citizens.” According to a
Government Accountability Office report from 2021, ICE carried out removal operations against at least 65 potential citizens during Trump’s first term.
The Post drew from court records, interviews and news reports to document how U.S. citizens have gotten caught in the immigration dragnet since Trump was inaugurated in January.
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