Border Czar Homan Confirms ICE Detains US Citizens Daily, Defends Practice as Acceptable

White House border czar Tom Homan acknowledged on May 9, 2026 that ICE routinely detains US citizens during immigration operations, saying “Have U.S. citizens ever been shortly detained based on suspicion? I’m sure. I’m sure” — while maintaining that citizens are released once identified and “we don’t deport them.” The statement came days after a new federal court filing documented the third wrongful detention of a US citizen construction worker in Alabama who presented his REAL ID each time.

The administration’s own border chief thus publicly confirmed what DHS Secretary Noem had flatly denied: that ICE arrests Americans as a routine byproduct of enforcement operations. ProPublica’s ongoing investigation has documented 170+ US citizen detentions since January 2025, including nearly 20 children. On May 4, 2026, Leonardo Garcia Venegas — a 26-year-old US citizen — filed federal class-action documents alleging his third ICE detention despite presenting a government-issued REAL ID each time. A joint congressional investigation by House Oversight and Senate PSI Democrats is tracking a systematic pattern of excessive force, fabricated assault claims, and multi-day detentions without phone or attorney access. Homan’s public acknowledgment marks the first time a senior administration official has confirmed the scale of citizen detentions rather than denying them.