Citizens Caught in Trump’s Immigration Dragnet

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania — When Jonathan Guerrero was at work at a car wash on January 25, less than two weeks after President Donald Trump took office, he experienced a shocking encounter with U.S. immigration agents. The agents, who did not display any identification, burst into the car wash and ordered Guerrero, 21, to put his hands up without allowing him to explain that he was a U.S. citizen born in Philadelphia.

“They looked at me and made me put my hands up without letting me explain that I’m from here,” Guerrero said, describing how an agent pointed a gun at him before handcuffing him. Following a brief detention with other workers, including his undocumented father, agents realized Guerrero was a citizen and quickly released him. “With anything law-related, I just stay quiet,” he added, reflecting on the traumatic event.

Guerrero’s experience is part of a concerning trend in which U.S. citizens are erroneously caught up in immigration enforcement actions during the Trump administration. Reports of similar incidents have surfaced across the country. In Utah, agents detained a 20-year-old American simply for honking at them. In Texas, a 10-year-old U.S. citizen recovering from brain cancer was detained and deported with her family despite carrying a hospital letter.

The government does not publicly disclose the extent of mistaken detentions involving citizens, and both Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have refused to provide ProPublica with figures. Experts highlight that aggressive immigration policies under Trump, including arrest quotas, increase the likelihood of citizens being swept up in deportation efforts.

“It’s really everyone— not just noncitizens or undocumented people — who are in danger of having their liberty violated in this kind of mass deportation machinery,” said Cody Wofsy, deputy director of the Immigrants’ Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union, commenting on the administration’s enforcement tactics.

Historically, the U.S. has seen waves of wrongful detentions. During the 1930s and 1940s, federal and state authorities forcibly deported roughly 1 million Mexican Americans, including American-born children. Recent reports indicate that during Trump’s first term, approximately 600 likely U.S. citizens were held by immigration authorities, with around 70 actually deported.

In Washington state, Carlos Rios faced a terrifying ordeal when he was arrested for suspicion of DUI in 2019. Despite possessing his U.S. passport, local deputies and subsequent ICE agents claimed he was not a citizen, leading to a week-long detention and a $125,000 settlement after he proved his citizenship.

More recent cases, such as that of Ernesto Campos, a U.S. citizen landscaper from California, highlight the ongoing risks. In January, Campos was stopped by Border Patrol agents who slashed his tires when he refused to hand over his keys after they accused him of “alien smuggling” involving his undocumented employee. Despite presenting his citizenship, he was held for hours without charges.

These cases have prompted criticism and litigation against the federal immigration authorities. The ACLU of Southern California and the United Farm Workers filed a lawsuit following the Kern County raid that included Campos, arguing that agents unlawfully profiled Latinos and exploited their authority.

ICE policies designed to prevent wrongful detentions have often gone unimplemented. A Government Accountability Office report noted that despite directives for officers to consult supervisors before detaining individuals claiming citizenship, proper training on these policies has not been consistently provided. As a result, many agents continue to mistakenly detain U.S. citizens, leaving a legacy of confusion and fear.

The mixed responses of immigration agencies to these systemic failures highlight the challenges ahead. While ICE claims to have revised its training materials, the lack of accountability regarding citizen detentions remains a significant concern.

Peter Sean Brown, another U.S. citizen born in Philadelphia, experienced a wrongful detention in 2018, a continuation of patterns of mistaken identity that have affected many citizens. Despite documentation supporting his citizenship, he found himself detained for three weeks by immigration authorities.

As the United States grapples with the implications of stringent immigration enforcement policies, the plight of innocent citizens remains a crucial topic for advocates and citizens alike.