House Democrats Drop The Oversight Hammer On Trump's Immigration Raids

Top House Democrats are demanding answers from DHS and ICE after reports that American citizens are being detained in immigration raids.

The Daily is a citizen-written newsletter for those who want their analysis from the country's heartland and are concerned about the issues that matter to you. Please consider supporting us by becoming a subscriber.

Democrats Demand To Know Why US Citizens Are Being Detained

Ever since Trump started floating the idea of mass deportations, concerns arose, given Trump’s record of shoddy planning and implementation, that these raids would end up sweeping both legal immigrants and US citizens.

After multiple media reports that US citizens are being detained in these raids, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, sent a letter demanding answers from DHS and ICE.

Raskin and Jayapal wrote:

These reports raise serious questions about the actions of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel when conducting immigration enforcement. Per ICE Policy No. 16001.2: Investigating the Potential U.S. Citizenship of Individuals Encountered by ICE, “[a]s a matter of law, ICE cannot assert its civil immigration enforcement authority to arrest and/or detain a U.S. citizen” and “ICE officers, agents, and attorneys should handle these matters with the utmost care and highest priority.”

This principle is essential to prevent the escalating government assault on immigrants from becoming a steamroller that crushes the rights of American citizens. In order to better understand the full scope of these alarming incidents and how DHS and ICE immigration enforcement activities may be infringing on the rights of U.S. citizens, please produce the following information as soon as possible, but no later than 5:00 p.m. on February 18, 2025:

1. A list of each incident where a U.S. citizen was detained during immigration enforcement activities since January 20, 2025, including:

a. The total number of U.S. citizens detained;

b. The name of each U.S. citizen detained;

c. The age of each U.S. citizen detained;

d. The location where the U.S. citizen was detained;

e. The length of time the U.S. citizen was detained;

f. The criminal record, if any, of each individual detained;

and g. The name of each agency that was involved in the immigration enforcement operation.

2. Is ICE Policy No. 16001.2: Investigating the Potential U.S. Citizenship of Individuals Encountered by ICE, still in effect?

a. If not, what policies and procedures does ICE currently have in place to prevent the wrongful detention of U.S. citizens during immigration enforcement activities?

b. Have there been any changes or updates to these policies and procedures in response to recent incidents?

There are reports of children and families who are citizens being rounded up and transported to detention centers.

The letter from Raskin and Jayapal isn’t just posturing.

Oversight Plays An Important Role In Resistance