Senate Report Exposes Systematic Abuse of U.S. Citizens by ICE and CBP, Directly Contradicting Noem’s Denials

Pregnant women, disabled veterans, and a 6-year-old autistic child among those seized by agents operating as 'paramilitary force,' report finds

WASHINGTON — A Senate investigation released Monday reveals federal immigration agents detained and brutalized at least 22 American citizens between June and November 2025, directly contradicting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s October claim that “no American citizens have been arrested or detained.”

Senate Investigations Committee ICE Report

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The 200-page report from the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, led by Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), documents what investigators describe as a systematic pattern of constitutional violations—including excessive force, denial of medical care, fabricated assault charges, and deliberate targeting of citizens based on race and ethnicity.

The 22 detailed cases likely represent “only a subset of the likely hundreds of American citizens who have been unlawfully detained” under the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations, according to the report.

Watch Tuesday’s hearing here.

‘Paramilitary Force’ Operating Without Constitutional Restraint

The investigation presents evidence that ICE and CBP have functioned as what the report characterizes as a “paramilitary force” with vast resources that “lawlessly detains citizens based on its own whims.”

Seven of the 22 citizens interviewed were held for more than 24 hours—far exceeding the brief detention period Justice Brett Kavanaugh envisioned in his September 2025 concurrence blessing racial profiling by immigration officials. Javier Ramirez, a severely diabetic man, was held for over 96 hours despite repeatedly informing agents of his medical condition and having his passport and ID in his pocket. George Retes, a disabled Army veteran, spent three days in custody and missed his daughter’s third birthday.

The documented abuses include:

Violent Assault: Marimar Martinez was shot five times by CBP officers. Julian Cardenas had his head slammed into the ground, causing a concussion that went undiagnosed for three days because agents pressured hospital staff to expedite his processing. Rafie Ollah Shouhed, a 79-year-old man with a heart stent and broken ribs, was thrown to the asphalt by three agents who pinned him down as he begged, “I’m an old man with a stent in my heart.” One agent responded: “You don’t fuck with ICE.”

Targeting of Children: A six-year-old autistic U.S. citizen was separated from her parents by ICE agents in what investigators describe as “an apparent attempt to lure her parents to leave private property.” The child became violently ill, required emergency room treatment, and has continued to suffer nightmares. Anabel Romero’s 14-year-old daughter was zip-tied and pulled from a truck, sustaining bruises on her ribs, while her six- and eight-year-old children were held at gunpoint.

Denial of Medical Care: Andrea Velez was denied water for nearly 24 hours during detention. Cary Lopez Alvarado, nine months pregnant, was forced to squat between squad cars in a garage to urinate while immigration officials watched.

Fabricated Assault Charges: Immigration agents repeatedly filed assault charges against citizens that collapsed immediately when confronted with video evidence—including against the nine-months-pregnant Alvarado, the 79-year-old Shouhed with multiple broken ribs, and 4’11” Velez, who was charged with punching an agent over six feet tall.

Direct Contradiction of Administration Claims

The findings directly contradict statements from Trump administration officials. On October 30, 2025, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem claimed: “No American citizens have been arrested or detained. We focus on those who are here illegally. And anything you would hear or report that would be different than that is simply not true and false reporting.”

President Trump told CBS’s 60 Minutes on November 2, 2025, that ICE raids “haven’t gone far enough” and approved of ICE’s tactics because “you have to get the people out.”

New Details, Previously Unreported Cases

The Subcommittee’s investigation includes previously unreported details about ICE and CBP’s interactions with multiple individuals, along with four accounts from people who have never told their stories publicly: Julian Cardenas, Alberto Nila, and Ceasar Saltos from California, and a U.S. citizen from Maryland who requested anonymity.

The report documents that agents frequently wore masks and minimal identifying insignia, refused to provide badge numbers, arrived in unmarked vehicles, and reacted violently when citizens attempted to record their conduct. Leonardo Garcia Venegas was violently tackled while filming masked agents conducting a warrantless raid at his workplace, despite presenting his Alabama STAR ID—documentation that requires U.S. citizenship to obtain. He was told the ID was “fake.”

Implications for Noncitizen Detainees

The report’s authors emphasize a chilling reality: if this is the treatment of citizens—people with the strongest legal protections against detention—the treatment of noncitizens detained by ICE and CBP “logically should face far worse conditions.”

“That reality should shock the conscience of every American,” the report concludes.

The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations is one of the most prestigious investigative bodies in the upper chamber. Its findings carry weight for potential oversight hearings and civil rights litigation against federal agencies and individual officers.

Watch the hearing here.

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