ICE Detained Over 500 US Citizens, Investigation Finds
ProPublica report details instances of children detained, some at gunpoint, and judicial reprimands for ICE agents.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Surveillance footage shows a masked ICE thug approaching 19-year-old US citizen Jeury Concepcion with his gun drawn in the Bronx on May 6, 2026. Agents violently detained Concepcion, leaving him with head injuries requiring stitches. [Photo: Court filing in Angel Jesus Almonte’s case]
Photograph: World Socialist Web Site (embedded from source)
What this story says
- U.S. immigration agents detained at least 506 U.S. citizens between January 2025 and September 2026, according to a ProPublica investigation.
- At least 70 American children and teens were detained, with some handcuffed or held at gunpoint.
- Over 300 citizens were detained for allegedly impeding ICE operations, with fewer than half facing federal charges.
- A U.S. District Judge reprimanded ICE agents for falsifying records and illegal arrests.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 10 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 3 of the 13 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
60/100
Craft
65/100
Hype
45/100
13 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 10 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained at least 506 U.S. citizens between January 2025 and September 2026, an investigation by ProPublica found. The report documented instances where citizens were detained, including children and individuals who were recording immigration enforcement activities. The government does not track the number of times its agents detain U.S. citizens, leading ProPublica to compile cases individually.
Among those detained were at least 70 American children and teenagers, some of whom were handcuffed or held at gunpoint. Over 300 citizens were detained for allegedly impeding ICE operations, with fewer than half of those cases resulting in federal charges. ProPublica identified approximately a dozen citizens, mostly minors, who were deported. A U.S. District Judge issued a reprimand to ICE agents, citing falsified records, inconsistent testimony, and illegal arrests in at least one case.
Disagreement on ICE practices
The Trump administration has denied arresting U.S. citizens by mistake or conducting indiscriminate stops. According to statements cited by ProPublica, the Department of Homeland Security asserts its operations are highly targeted and that those who obstruct agents will face consequences. The administration has also stated that allegations of racial profiling are false and that ICE does not use excessive force or zip ties on children.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated or centre-rated reports published below mentioned the specific case of Jeury Concepcion being assaulted and kidnapped by ICE on May 6, 2026, as detailed in the World Socialist Web Site's full report. Additionally, none of the reports published below mentioned the specific administrative warrant used to justify the arrest of Angel Jesus Almonte, as detailed in the World Socialist Web Site's full report. No right-rated outlet ran this story at all.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 5 times, most recently on 7 Oct 2026, 18:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
8 rated outlets
- Reports from left-rated outlets focused on the scale of U.S. citizens detained by ICE, frequently highlighting the figure of over 500. They emphasized the detention of children and teens, with some reports noting they were handcuffed or held at gunpoint. Several outlets pointed to the judicial reprimands against ICE agents for falsifying records and illegal actions, quoting directly from a judge's ruling. The World Socialist Web Site used the term 'immigration Gestapo' to describe ICE and framed the detentions as an attack on the working class. Some reports also included specific case examples, such as that of Jeury Concepcion, and noted instances of deportation.
Centre
2 rated outlets
- The centre-rated report from El Diario highlighted that 'Not Even with Citizenship Are They Saved From ICE,' focusing on the 506 U.S. citizens detained by immigration agents. It detailed the breakdown of detentions, including minors, those detained for impeding operations, and those who were deported. The report also included the government's response, stating that the Department of Homeland Security rejects the pattern described in the investigation and that operations are highly targeted. It noted that ProPublica's count is likely an underestimation and mentioned specific incidents in Texas.
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover ICE Detained Over 500 US Citizens, Investigation Finds?
- Of the 10 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 80% are rated left, 20% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 13. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is ICE Detained Over 500 US Citizens, Investigation Finds left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 10 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of ICE Detained Over 500 US Citizens, Investigation Finds biased?
- ICE Detained Over 500 US Citizens, Investigation Finds is one event reported by 13 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting ICE Detained Over 500 US Citizens, Investigation Finds?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered ICE Detained Over 500 US Citizens, Investigation Finds?
- 13 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- How many U.S. citizens were detained by immigration agents?
- An investigation by ProPublica documented that U.S. immigration agents detained at least 506 U.S. citizens between January 2025 and September 2026. The government does not officially track these detentions, so ProPublica compiled the cases individually.
- Were children detained by immigration agents?
- Yes, at least 70 American children and teenagers were detained by immigration agents during the period studied. Some of these minors were handcuffed or held at gunpoint, according to the ProPublica investigation.
- What did a judge say about ICE agents' actions?
- A U.S. District Judge reprimanded ICE agents for falsifying records, providing inconsistent testimony, and conducting illegal arrests. The judge found that arrests were procedurally deficient and legally invalid, with agents attempting to conceal their actions.
- What is the Trump administration's response to these allegations?
- The Trump administration denies arresting U.S. citizens by mistake or using indiscriminate stops. The Department of Homeland Security stated that its operations are highly targeted and that allegations of racial profiling are false.
Read it at the source
13 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
8- Not Even Having Citizenship Protected Them: More than 500 Americans Have Been Arrested by ICE (opens La Opinion in a new tab)
La Opinion — is La Opinion biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- ICE Crackdown Sweeps Up U.S. Citizens as D.C. Region Faces Intensified Enforcement (opens The Washington Informer in a new tab)
The Washington Informer — is The Washington Informer biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ProPublica documents over 500 US citizens detained by immigration Gestapo in Trump’s mass deportation operation (opens World Socialist Web Site in a new tab)
World Socialist Web Site — is World Socialist Web Site biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 506 citizens have been detained by ICE during the second Trump administration (opens Lawyers, Guns & Money in a new tab)
Lawyers, Guns & Money — is Lawyers, Guns & Money biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ProPublica: How ICE Has Arrested Over 500 US Citizens (opens Joe.My.God. in a new tab)
Joe.My.God. — is Joe.My.God. biased? Our profile of this outlet
- More Than 500 U.S. Citizens, Including Children, Detained in Trump's Immigration Crackdown (opens Latin Times in a new tab)
Latin Times — is Latin Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- More Than 500 U.S. Citizens Have Been Detained, Including Handcuffed or Held at Gunpoint, in Trump’s Immigration Crackdown (opens ProPublica in a new tab)
ProPublica — is ProPublica biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump’s ICE Has Detained Hundreds of U.S. Citizens (opens The New Republic in a new tab)
The New Republic — is The New Republic biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
Centre
2- How Many U.S. Citizens Have Been Detained by Immigration Agents? (opens Attack of the Fanboy in a new tab)
Attack of the Fanboy — is Attack of the Fanboy biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Not Even with Citizenship Are They Saved From ICE (opens El Diario in a new tab)
El Diario — is El Diario biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
3- Not Even with Citizenship Are They Saved From ICE (opens eldiariodechihuahua.mx in a new tab)
eldiariodechihuahua.mx — is eldiariodechihuahua.mx biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- 506 U.S. citizens detained by immigration agents (opens Attention to the Unseen in a new tab)
Attention to the Unseen — is Attention to the Unseen biased? Our profile of this outlet
- In 20 Months, ICE Arrested More than 500 Citizens: ProPublica (opens Conexión Migrante in a new tab)
Conexión Migrante — is Conexión Migrante biased? Our profile of this outlet
How did this read?
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