House Republicans have voted down an effort to block immigration enforcers from using federal resources to detain or deport U.S. citizens.
During a House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Democrats tabled amedments to a sweeping budget bill that President Donald Trump has dubbed “one big, beautiful bill.”
One amendment introduced by Representative Pramila Jayapal, the Democrat from Washington state, sought to make clear Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) cannot detain or deport U.S. citizens under any circumstances.
However, GOP lawmakers killed the amendment.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump in April floated the idea of sending U.S. citizens convicted of violent crimes to El Salvador.
The new Trump administration has also been accused of flouting court orders and deporting migrants without due process following promises of mass deportation. The administration has denied such accusations.
Any such moves risk a clash with the U.S. Supreme Court, which said in a ruling last month that any deportees should first be given due process through the courts.
Recent polling suggests Americans are almost evenly divded over President Trump’s handling of immigration.
Representative Pramila Jayapal speaks with a reporter outside the U.S. Capitol on February 25, 2025.
Francis Chung/POLITICO/AP Images
What to Know
On April 5, President Trump told reporters on Air Force One “we have some horrible criminals, American grown, born,” and that he is “all for” sending them to prisons in El Salvador. “I don’t know what the law says on that,” he added.
Asked about Trump’s remarks, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “The president has said, if it’s legal, right, if there is a legal pathway to do that, he’s not sure, we’re not sure, if there is. It’s an idea he has simply floated and has discussed in an effort of transparency.”
Democrats have raised concerns over the removal of American children who were sent to Honduras with their mothers.
In the case of one of the children, a 2-year-old girl, a federal judge said he had a “strong suspicion” thechild was sent away with “no meaningful process.”
“It is illegal and unconstitutional to deport, detain for deportation, or recommend deportation of a US citizen,” the judge said.
The Department of Homeland Security has denied deporting U.S.-born children without parental consent, saying that ICE gave the mothers the option to either remain with their children during removal or have them placed with a designated caregiver. Both mothers chose to be deported with their children, the DHS said.
An AP-NORC poll conducted from April 17 to 21 among 1,260 adults found that 53 percent disapproved of Trump’s immigration policy. Similarly, an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll, conducted from April 18 to 22, showed that more Americans disapproved (53 percent) than approved (46 percent) of the president’s handling of immigration.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump told reporters on April 6: “We have some horrible criminals, American grown and born. And if we have somebody that bops an old woman over the head, if we have somebody that is in jail 20 times who goes back and shoots people all over the place and then has a bad judge or a bad prosecutor that do nothing about him, all they worry about his politics, I don’t worry about that.
“I think if we could get El Salvador or somebody to take them, I’d be very happy with it. But I have to see what the law says.”
Representative Pramila Jayapal, the Democrat from Washington state, told the committee on Wednesday:”My amendment is simple, and I hope that it has bipartisan support. It simply states that none of the funds in this bill may be used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain or deport U.S. citizens. Whether you’re a Democrat or Republican, I hope we can all agree that U.S. citizens should never be detained by ICE or any agency conducting civil immigration enforcement. They certainly should not be deported.”
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in a statement adjoining a ruling last month: “The Government’s argument, moreover, implies that it could deport and incarcerate any person, including U. S. citizens, without legal consequence, so long as it does so before a court can intervene. That view refutes itself.”
Representative Ted Lieu, the Democrat from California, said: “The fact that Democrats and my colleague Representative Pramila Jayapal feel the need to even introduce an amendment that says ICE cannot deport U.S. citizens is bats**t crazy.”
Representative Mark Green said in a statement: “Homeland Republicans proudly advanced funding to give Border Patrol agents the tools they have long requested to accomplish their homeland security mission in the field while protecting our communities.”
Representative Jamie Raskin, ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee: “My colleagues say these extreme measures are necessary to deport gang members, violent criminals, ‘the worst of the worst.’ But the Trump Administration is not targeting the worst of the worst. They’re arresting judges. They’re using federal agents to round up law-abiding members of our communities with no criminal records, parents of American children, husbands and wives of American spouses—people who pose no threat to public safety.”
What Happens Next
The big budget bill is expected to pass in Congress.
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