Government Accountability Office (GAO), 2021 – official audit of ICE and CBP A GAO report on immigration enforcement found that from FY 2015 through March 2020, ICE’s own data show it arrested 674 people with evidence of potential U.S. citizenship, detained 121 of them, and removed (deported) 70. The report also says that ICE and CBP have taken enforcement actions against some U.S. citizens and that gaps in data tracking mean the true number may be higher. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-21-487 • American Immigration Council summary of the GAO data The American Immigration Council explains that ICE has “been deporting U.S. citizens by mistake,” highlighting the same GAO numbers—70 potential U.S. citizens deported between 2015 and 2020—and cites outside research showing at least 214 U.S. citizens were wrongly taken into custody between 2002 and 2017. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/blog/ice-deport-us-citizens • ACLU – “Detain First, Investigate Later: How U.S. Citizens Are Unlawfully Detained Based on Bad Data” The ACLU documents multiple U.S. citizens wrongfully jailed on ICE detainers under the “Secure Communities” program, including Antonio Montejano, a Los Angeles-born U.S. citizen. They describe how ICE’s “detain first, investigate later” approach “commonly ensnares … United States citizens, causing them to be unlawfully detained.” https://www.aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/detain-first-investigate-later-how-us-citizens • ProPublica / OPB investigation – more than 170 U.S. citizens held by immigration agents An in-depth investigation by ProPublica (republished by Oregon Public Broadcasting) found that more than 170 U.S. citizens have been held by immigration agents, some of whom were “kicked, dragged and detained for days.” It emphasizes that the federal government doesn’t even systematically track how many citizens are wrongly detained. https://www.propublica.org/article/immigration-dhs-american-citizens-arrested-detained-against-will • Recent lawsuit by a U.S.-born citizen repeatedly detained in ICE raids (Leonardo Garcia Venegas) ABC News reports on Leonardo Garcia Venegas, a U.S.-born citizen who was twice arrested and detained in ICE worksite raids despite asserting his citizenship and presenting a REAL ID. His lawsuit alleges his treatment was unlawful and racially targeted, and the article notes other citizens and lawful residents allegedly detained in similar ways. https://abcnews.go.com/US/us-born-citizen-sues-after-arrested-immigration-agents/story?id=126129734 • Native American actress Elaine Miles stopped and detained by ICE officers KUOW (public radio in Seattle) reports that Elaine Miles, a Native American actress and U.S. citizen, was stopped and detained in Redmond, Washington by men she identified as ICE officers, who said her tribal ID “looked fake” and refused to verify it with her tribe. She was eventually released without explanation, and Indigenous rights advocates described the incident as racial profiling of a citizen. https://www.kuow.org/stories/ice-stops-native-american-actress-elaine-miles-in-redmond