ProPublica has documented more than 500 cases of U.S. citizens detained by immigration agents since Inauguration Day through October 21, 2026, compiling incidents from social media, court records, and local media reports.
The organization included an incident in its database only if it found at least two sources for it. ProPublica requested information from the Department of Homeland Security about each case and searched for federal criminal charges related to each detention. DHS has repeatedly stated it is not arresting U.S. citizens.
ProPublica identified two main categories of detained Americans. More than a hundred citizens were held because agents questioned their citizenship. Roughly 300 Americans were arrested by immigration agents after being accused of assaulting or impeding officers at protests or during immigration enforcement actions. In many cases involving assault accusations, the government never brought charges.
ProPublica acknowledged its count is likely an undercount because the government does not track these cases. In some incidents, such as an Idaho raid where witnesses estimated 200 citizens were detained, ProPublica could only identify 30 individuals by the time of publication.
The organization restricted its count to warrantless arrests outside airports and border areas, where immigration agents have long held greater authority. It excluded cases involving judicial warrants and incidents where agents used force but did not detain individuals. ProPublica also excluded immigration protesters arrested by police enforcing local laws, though it did include some cases involving police working alongside immigration agents.
ProPublica reviewed hundreds of videos of federal agents detaining American citizens, with the majority recorded by bystanders and shared on social media. The organization searched federal district court records through PACER to determine whether detained individuals faced federal criminal charges within two months of their detention.