Rep. Leger Fernández Introduces Bill to Let U.S. Citizens Sue Over Wrongful ICE Detentions, Citing ProPublica Reporting

ProPublica reported that Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, a New Mexico Democrat, introduced a bill “last week” (the article gives no exact date) that would make it easier for U.S. citizens to sue immigration agents and the federal government over wrongful detentions and arrests. She credited ProPublica’s reporting as the catalyst for the Justice for Citizens Wrongfully Detained by ICE Act. The bill would roll back the lawsuit protections agents and the government currently have, establish a minimum level of compensation for those who win, extend the statute of limitations, and take back unspent ICE funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, a New Jersey Democrat, is co-sponsor. DHS repeated claims that it is not arresting U.S. citizens.

The bill answers ProPublica’s own count of more than 500 U.S. citizens detained in warrantless arrests in the second Trump administration (2026-10-06–propublica-tally-506-us-citizens-detained-by-immigration-agents-since-january-2025). ProPublica notes that previous Democratic bills to widen the narrow routes for suing agents have not passed, so this is a marker of the accountability fight, not a change in law.