ICE Official Says Agency Detains U.S. Citizens but Does Not Deport Them

A senior immigration enforcement official said he is sure that ICE officers detain U.S. citizens during operations but emphasized that the agency does not deport them. The official made the statement in response to questions about the frequency of mistaken detentions.

He acknowledged that errors can happen in the field but drew a distinction between detention and deportation outcomes. Officials have previously faced criticism over cases in which U.S. citizens were held by immigration authorities. The agency maintains internal procedures intended to identify citizenship claims quickly once they are raised.

ICE conducts enforcement actions across the country targeting individuals believed to be in the United States unlawfully. During these operations, officers rely on databases, tips and visual indicators that can sometimes lead to incorrect identifications.

The official said any U.S. citizen who is detained is released after their status is verified. He did not provide statistics on how often such incidents occur or detail specific safeguards used to prevent them. The comments come amid broader public debate over the scope and precision of immigration enforcement.

Civil liberties groups have documented instances in which citizens were held for hours or days before being freed.

Immigration officers are required to ask about citizenship when someone claims to be a U.S. citizen. The official noted that once citizenship is established, the individual is no longer subject to removal proceedings. "I'm sure it happens. No data on the total number of U.S. citizen detentions by ICE in the past year was included in the report.

Further details on agency oversight or internal reviews were not disclosed.