More than 170 U.S. citizens have been wrongfully arrested or detained by federal immigration officials since January, according to an Oct. 16 report by Pro Publica. However, most experts expect the actual number to be significantly higher, because no federal agency keeps records. Since there are no federal records, when a citizen is stopped a second time, there is no easy way for the agent on the street to know whether the individual has already been identified and cleared. About 20 of the detained citizens were children.
Some of these U.S. citizens have been tackled, dragged, beaten, tased, and shot. One U.S. citizen, a pregnant woman, was subjected to having the front door of her house blown off, and her house raided, while Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem watched. About two dozen of these citizens were then held for more than 24 hours and prevented from making any phone call to their attorneys, notifying an employer, or even contacting family members.
The report also identifies about 130 U.S. citizens who have been arrested while protesting the immigration crackdown or simply being a witness to immigration enforcement. The vast majority of cases involve peaceful citizens who were later falsely charged with assaulting federal agents, or interfering with law enforcement actions. Pro Publica found that in at least 50 cases, the charges were never filed or were dismissed without a trial. However, these citizens have suffered having federal agents point guns at them, punched, pepper sprayed, and tackled. Some have been held for two days and prevented from making a phone call. At one immigration raid a disabled veteran tried to prove that he was a U.S. citizen, but a federal officer just laughed at him, and saying he should not have gone to work that day. The veteran was held for three days and prevented from making a phone call. The Department of Homeland Security posted on X that the disabled veteran assaulted a federal agent, and yet he has never been charged with any crime.
