ICE has detained over 170 US citizens in its immigration sweeps: report

More than 170 U.S. citizens were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) between January and early October, a ProPublica investigation revealed last month.

Key findings: The investigation identified two categories of detentions: (1) about 130 citizens accused of officer assault or obstruction and (2) over 50 questioned about their citizenship status, with nearly all in the latter group being Latino. Many of the assault allegations failed to hold up, with charges either dismissed by courts or never filed in approximately 50 cases, resulting in only a handful of misdemeanor convictions. Among those detained were nearly 20 minors, including two with cancer. Roughly two dozen citizens went over 24 hours unable to reach lawyers or family members.

The documented incidents show aggressive enforcement tactics. Agents reportedly pepper-sprayed a young man who was recording their activities. In another case, a 79-year-old car wash owner recovering from heart surgery was tackled to the ground, breaking his ribs, and denied medical treatment for 12 hours. A third case involved a woman held without any outside contact for more than 48 hours. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) maintains that “we don’t arrest U.S. citizens for immigration enforcement,” yet ProPublica compiled evidence from lawsuits, social media and news reports that contradicts such a claim.

Zoom in: Over three weeks ago, an ICE operation targeting counterfeit goods sellers in Manhattan’s Chinatown resulted in four American citizens being held without charges for roughly 24 hours. Their families filed missing person reports with New York City police before the four were released, said Murah Awawdeh, who leads the New York Immigration Coalition. New York Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman called the arrests “lawless terror.”

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons defended the operation as “intelligence driven” rather than random, asserting that the nine undocumented immigrants arrested had lengthy criminal records. However, immigration enforcement experts say this represents a broader strategic shift. Scott Shuchart, a former senior immigration official who served under three administrations, told ProPublica that the new approach abandons targeted deportations and instead uses resources “unintelligently” to sweep entire communities.

What this means: These patterns show that citizenship offers no guaranteed protection from immigration enforcement abuses in Asian American communities. The Chinatown operation demonstrates how neighborhoods with large Asian immigrant populations face heightened scrutiny under broad enforcement policies. Racial profiling, especially after the Supreme Court’s greenlight, has become standard in immigration sweeps. This puts Asian Americans at risk of stops based solely on appearance.