House Republicans Reject Amendment Blocking ICE from Detaining or Deporting U.S. Citizens

On Wednesday, during a House Judiciary Committee session, House Republicans voted down a Democratic proposal aimed at stopping immigration officials from detaining or deporting U.S. citizens.

The amendment was introduced by Representative Pramila Jayapal from Washington state. It was part of a wider budget bill supported by President Donald Trump, who referred to it as “one big, beautiful bill.” Jayapal’s amendment clearly stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should not be allowed to detain or deport American citizens under any circumstance.

Despite the constitutional rights of citizens being clear, Republican members of the committee voted to block the amendment.

Representative Ted Lieu, a Democrat from California, strongly criticized the rejection, saying: “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. It is not even a question. U.S. citizens cannot be deported by ICE. It’s the law, it’s the Constitution.”

The proposal’s rejection raised eyebrows among Democrats and civil rights advocates, especially given previous cases where ICE mistakenly detained or threatened to deport U.S. citizens. Although rare, these cases have been documented and have led to public outcry.

Supporters of the amendment argue that it would have simply reaffirmed legal protections already in place. But critics from the Republican side maintained that such an amendment was unnecessary and politically motivated.

This legislative clash highlights ongoing tensions between parties over immigration policy and enforcement under the Trump administration. Democrats continue to raise concerns about ICE’s broad powers and potential overreach, while Republicans remain firm on strict immigration enforcement.

The article and situation are still developing and more updates are expected.