U.S. House Democrats demand answers over detention of citizens

House Democrats are calling on the Department of Homeland Security to explain why hundreds of U.S. citizens have been detained by immigration agents. The demand follows a ProPublica investigation that identified more than 500 cases of Americans being detained, an amount experts suggest is likely an undercount due to a lack of government transparency.

In a letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Representative Lou Correa and 39 other legislators requested data on the number of citizens detained and how the government tracks such encounters. The lawmakers also sought information regarding agent training for verifying citizenship and legal status.

The investigation reported that over 100 Americans were questioned about their citizenship, 63 were detained while recording, and 36 were held for at least a day without access to lawyers or family. Additionally, approximately a dozen citizens, mostly children, were reportedly deported.

While Democrats expressed concern regarding violations of constitutional rights to due process and protection from unreasonable search and seizure, a DHS spokesperson defended immigration operations as “highly targeted” and stated the department does not arrest U.S. citizens.