House Democrats are calling for an explanation from the Trump administration after reports surfaced that U.S. citizens were mistakenly detained during recent immigration enforcement actions. The lawmakers are demanding information about the number of U.S. citizens detained, their identities, and the circumstances surrounding their arrest.
The top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee is demanding answers from the Trump administration about reports of U.S. citizens being caught up in recent immigration enforcement actions. Rep. Jamie Raskin, House Judiciary Committee ranking member, and Rep.
Pramila Jayapal, a subcommittee ranking member, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Caleb Vitello, Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director, requesting an accounting of all immigration enforcement actions since January 20 that involved U.S. citizens. Raskin expressed concern that focusing on undocumented immigrants based on appearance rather than criminal activity could lead to the wrongful detention of innocent people, including citizens. He cited previous cases of racial and ethnic profiling resulting in the unlawful detention of U.S. citizens, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability. The lawmakers' letter highlighted a 2015 ICE policy stating that ICE cannot assert its civil immigration enforcement authority to arrest or detain a U.S. citizen. They stressed the importance of treating interactions with U.S. citizens with the utmost care and highest priority to prevent the erosion of civil liberties. Recent incidents have fueled accusations of racial profiling by ICE, with reports of Navajo citizens living off-reservation being questioned by ICE officers about their identity and a veteran employee in New Jersey being asked to show his identification during an ICE raid. The Mescalero Apache Tribe also reported that one of its members was approached by an ICE agent who spoke in Spanish, despite the member speaking English. While ICE initially declined to comment on these incidents, the lawmakers' letter demanded comprehensive information about any U.S. citizens detained, including their names, ages, locations, duration of detention, and criminal records, if any. They also requested details about the agencies involved in the enforcement actions and inquired about any updates to ICE policies and procedures following these incidents. Concerns over ICE confrontations with U.S. citizens have prompted congressional inquiries in previous administrations. A report by the Government Accountability Office during the Biden administration revealed that from October 1, 2015, to March 2020, ICE arrested 674 potential U.S. citizens, detained 121, and removed 70. The report highlighted conflicting ICE policies on questioning U.S. citizens and inadequate tracking of encounters with U.S. citizens
IMMIGRATION ICE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY US CITIZENS RACIAL PROFILING HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE JAMIE RASKIN PRAMILA JAYAPAL CONGRESSIONAL INQUIRY
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