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Following recent reporting that at least 170 U.S. citizens have been detained by federal immigration agents under the Trump administration, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) have called for accountability from top homeland security officials. Jayapal described the findings as “absolutely shocking.”
The lawmakers noted that they had previously written to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons in February, shortly after President Donald Trump’s second term began, when concerns over the detention of U.S. citizens during mass deportation operations were already emerging.
At that time, NBC News reported on the detention of U.S. citizens, including members of Native American tribes, raising questions about racial profiling. In their letter dated Monday, Jayapal and Raskin stated that the response from Noem and Lyons was “flippant and unserious,” with officials merely reiterating policies that prohibit ICE from detaining U.S. citizens, without offering any assurance that these policies were being followed.
“This administration cannot hide behind a broad policy statement, as it continues to unlawfully detain U.S. citizens as part of indiscriminate immigration raids,” the lawmakers wrote.
They emphasized that many arrests of U.S. citizens by immigration agents have involved violence. The letter highlighted four specific cases, though additional incidents not included in the letter also illustrate the issue.
For example, Job Garcia, a photographer, was tackled and held on the ground by ICE agents during a raid at a Home Depot in Los Angeles and detained for over 24 hours. Debbie Brockman, a news producer in Chicago, was handcuffed by agents who accused her of throwing an object at them and was taken into an unmarked vehicle that crashed into another car before she was released later that day with no charges.
Jayapal and Raskin accused Noem and Lyons of overseeing a “lawless ‘detain first, ask questions later’ approach to immigration enforcement” that is “terrorizing communities across the country.” They pointed to instances where masked, armed agents have snatched individuals on the street without identifying themselves, leading to fear among U.S. citizens.
“U.S. citizens are now afraid to speak Spanish in public and are carrying their passports everywhere they go,” the lawmakers said. “This administration’s failure to investigate or even acknowledge that these indiscriminate immigration raids are canceling the rights of U.S. citizens is dangerous.”
The lawmakers demanded that Noem and Lyons provide a detailed accounting of all U.S. citizens detained, including their identities, the duration of their detention, and any criminal records if applicable. According to a June analysis by the CATO Institute, most people arrested by ICE this year do not have criminal records.
“We once again demand that you immediately provide a full accounting of all cases in which U.S. citizens have been detained since January 20, 2025,” the Democrats stated, “and explain any concrete steps your agencies are implementing to prevent such abuses from continuing.”
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