ICE Faces Lawsuits After Wrongful Detentions of U.S. Citizens, Including Sick Child

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is facing fresh legal and political scrutiny after a series of alleged wrongful detentions and deportations of U.S. citizens, including children with serious medical conditions, under President Donald Trump’s stepped-up immigration crackdown. In Los Angeles, a 15-year-old special-needs student was handcuffed outside Arleta High School on 11 Aug. when federal agents misidentified him during an operation near the campus, according to Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. The boy was released only after school staff and city police intervened. Carvalho and Mayor Karen Bass condemned the incident as “unacceptable,” saying the district has altered bus routes and deployed additional staff to reassure families. Separately, a lawsuit filed this week alleges ICE officers deported a four-year-old U.S. citizen receiving treatment for stage-4 kidney cancer, along with his mother and sister, “without even a semblance of due process.” Advocates say the removal interrupted the child’s care and violated constitutional protections. The cases follow the June detention of Andrea Velez, a Los Angeles resident whose obstruction charge was later dismissed after she spent two days in custody. Velez told NBC News she was denied water for 24 hours and remains traumatized. Rights groups argue the incidents reflect systemic problems in an agency under pressure to meet arrest quotas of up to 1,500 a day set after Congress approved $170 billion in new enforcement funding last month. ICE has not responded to detailed questions about the individual cases.