White House border czar Tom Homan acknowledged Thursday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have detained American citizens during enforcement operations, but insisted that such individuals are never deported.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Homan said U.S. citizens have "nothing to fear" from immigration enforcement. "We deport people that are going to be deportable," he said. "We arrest people that will be deportable based on suspicion. Have U.S. citizens ever been shortly detained based on suspicion? I'm sure. I'm sure."
Homan added that if ICE officers determine a detainee is "not the guy we're looking for, you are released." He concluded: "But we don't deport U.S. citizens."
The comments come amid ongoing concerns that the Trump administration's immigration crackdown has ensnared U.S. citizens. In March, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) accused the Department of Homeland Security of detaining citizens during a House Judiciary Committee hearing. She introduced four Americans who said they had been detained by ICE without being charged with any crime.
"DHS is supposed to be protecting our residents and upholding constitutional protections, but you've turned that on the head," Jayapal told then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. "You have actually turned the United States government against its own residents."
The controversy has intensified as ICE sweeps have also swept up U.S.-citizen children whose parents face deportation. Administration officials have said those minors were not deported, but that their parents chose to take them rather than be separated. In one case, a 2-year-old U.S. citizen was deported to Honduras with his mother and sister without "meaningful process," according to U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty, a Trump appointee, who wrote in April 2025 that the government's claim that the mother consented was unverified.
Homan has defended the policy, telling CBS News's "Face the Nation" that immigrants with U.S.-born children are not "immune" from deportation, adding, "American families get separated every day by law enforcement."
Democratic lawmakers have pushed for reforms, including a ban on deporting U.S. citizens, especially after a near 80-day funding lapse at DHS left ICE and Border Patrol unfunded. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) questioned the need for such a ban, saying, "In what country are we living in if it's controversial to prohibit [the deportation] of American citizens? That shouldn't even be a discussion."
The issue also touches on broader debates about birthright citizenship and immigration enforcement. Recent developments, such as public opposition to ending birthright citizenship and Puerto Rico's sovereignty push testing citizenship boundaries, underscore the stakes. Meanwhile, House Republicans are struggling to secure funding for ICE and Border Patrol as the administration presses ahead with its enforcement agenda.
