Skip to content
ThreadOut
ProPublica@propublica · Oct 6, 2026

The government *still* isn’t tracking how often immigration agents detain U.S. citizens. We are. 500+ Americans have…

14 tweets2 min read♥ 2.4Koriginal

Summary

ProPublica's investigation documents over 500 cases of U.S. citizens detained by immigration agents during Trump's second term, including minors and people exercising First Amendment rights, with the government failing to track these incidents officially. The report finds patterns of racial profiling, constitutional violations including denial of legal counsel, and systemic disregard for citizens' rights.

Summarized by ThreadOut AI from the full thread. May miss nuance — read the thread below.

  1. #1

    The government *still* isn’t tracking how often immigration agents detain U.S. citizens. We are. 500+ Americans have been handcuffed, held at gunpoint or held against their will in Trump’s second term. Our tally is almost certainly an undercount. THREAD ⬇️

  2. #2

    2/ Federal agents have detained at least 70 children and teens who are American citizens. Some were handcuffed or zip-tied. In one instance, a 15-year-old with disabilities was handcuffed outside a school in Los Angeles when agents mistook him for an alleged gang member.

  3. #3

    3/ 100+ Americans have been held after agents questioned their citizenship. Nearly all of them were people of color. They say they were profiled — detained because of their skin color, accents or jobs. “ICE isn’t looking for criminals. They’re looking for Latinos,” one said.

  4. #4

    4/ Fernando Vasquez, an 18-year-old citizen, was on break from work when agents chased and handcuffed him, then put him in their truck. After realizing their mistake, the agents left the teen alone in the woods, with no way to get home. Then they threw his ID out of the truck.

  5. #5

    5/ Hundreds of Americans were also held while they were engaging in their First Amendment rights. 60+ were held while they were filming.

  6. #6

    6/ Others were arrested while trying to protect colleagues. Quentin Williams, a staffer at Minneapolis' Roosevelt High, was trying to help a teacher when he was shoved by Greg Bovino and tackled by agents. He was charged with assault, but like others, his case was dismissed.

  7. #7

    7/ Among the most jarring trends we found: 36 U.S. citizens were not allowed to contact their family or a lawyer.

  8. #8

    8/ Amanda Trebach, a nurse and member of an immigrant advocacy group, was detained in California while filming and protesting immigration enforcement operations. Trebach says she was held for almost 36 hours without access to a phone call or a lawyer.

  9. #9

    9/ DHS said Trebach jumped in front of moving vehicles and hit a car with her signs and fists, which she disputes. No related federal charges were brought against Trebach, as far as ProPublica could find.

  10. #10

    10/ We shared our findings and information on each case with the Department of Homeland Security. The department defended agents’ conduct. “DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted. We do our due diligence,” the agency said in a statement.

  11. #11

    11/ DHS also told us that racial profiling allegations were “disgusting, reckless and categorically FALSE” and “ICE does not zip tie or restrain children.”

  12. #12

    12/ We spent months compiling every case we could find of immigration agents detaining Americans. We did it because the government hasn't. And now, we're sharing every one of those cases with you. Explore our database: propub.li/4y9hxJh

  13. #13

    13/ Collectively, these cases show that as the administration has relentlessly pursued immigrants, federal agents have run roughshod over the constitutional rights of citizens too. Read our investigation: projects.propublica.org/american-citiz…

  14. #14

    14/ We sifted through social media, DHS statements, court records and local reports to find cases where citizens were held against their will for any amount of time. The courts consider someone detained if they aren’t free to leave. Full methodology: propub.li/4hve3M7