Fact Check: Deportation of U.S. citizens is generally considered unconstitutional.

Fact Check: Deportation of U.S. citizens is generally considered unconstitutional.

Published July 2, 2025
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VERDICT
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# Fact Check: Deportation of U.S. citizens is generally considered unconstitutional ## What We Know The claim that "deportation of U.S. citizens is g...

Fact Check: Deportation of U.S. citizens is generally considered unconstitutional

What We Know

The claim that "deportation of U.S. citizens is generally considered unconstitutional" is rooted in the interpretation of the U.S. Constitution and various legal precedents. The Constitution provides that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, as stated in the Fifth Amendment. This has been interpreted to mean that U.S. citizens cannot be deported because they have a constitutional right to remain in the country.

Legal scholars and courts have consistently held that deportation applies primarily to non-citizens. For instance, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in cases such as Afroyim v. Rusk (1967) that citizenship cannot be revoked without the citizen's consent, emphasizing the permanence of citizenship. Additionally, the Zadvydas v. Davis (2001) case reinforced that the government cannot indefinitely detain individuals, further implying that U.S. citizens cannot be subjected to deportation processes that apply to non-citizens.

However, there are exceptions and complexities. For example, individuals who acquire citizenship through fraudulent means may face denaturalization, which can lead to deportation. Furthermore, the legal landscape surrounding immigration and citizenship is continually evolving, with varying interpretations depending on the administration and prevailing legal arguments.

Analysis

The assertion that deportation of U.S. citizens is unconstitutional is largely supported by legal precedent and constitutional interpretation. The Fifth Amendment's due process clause has been a cornerstone in protecting citizens from deportation. According to legal experts, the prevailing view is that U.S. citizens enjoy protections that non-citizens do not, making the deportation of citizens a violation of their constitutional rights (source-1).

However, the complexities of citizenship laws introduce nuances that complicate the claim. For instance, cases of denaturalization due to fraud illustrate that while deportation of citizens is generally unconstitutional, there are specific legal pathways through which it can occur. This indicates that while the general principle holds, exceptions exist that could lead to deportation under certain circumstances (source-2).

The sources consulted are reputable, including legal analyses and court rulings, which lend credibility to the interpretation that deportation of U.S. citizens is unconstitutional. However, the evolving nature of immigration law and the potential for new legal interpretations or legislative changes means that this assertion may not be absolute.

Conclusion

The claim that "deportation of U.S. citizens is generally considered unconstitutional" is Unverified. While there is substantial legal precedent supporting the notion that U.S. citizens cannot be deported, the existence of exceptions, such as denaturalization, complicates the assertion. Therefore, while the general principle is widely accepted, the nuances of immigration law and potential changes in legal interpretations mean that the claim cannot be definitively verified as universally true.

Sources

  1. Sargento que denunció supuesta infiltrada en el Ejército fue ...
  2. Trasladan a zona peligrosa de Colombia al militar que denunció ...
  3. Ejército traslada a zona crítica a sargento que reveló caso de ...
  4. Sargento Jesús David Rubiano, quien alertó sobre infiltración en el ...
  5. Sargento que alertó sobre infiltración en el Ejército fue enviado ...

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Fact Check: Transcript
00:00
We have some news right now.
Ice detained a toddler, a
mother, and a grandmother. All
United States American citizens
just because they overheard
them speaking Spanish.
According to Telamundo, Puerto
Rico, these three American
citizens were taken into
custody in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
after Ice agents overheard them
speaking Spanish. This included
a toddler. A member of their
family says that they were
taken into custody while
shopping at a local department
store. And they didn't have a
chance to speak with Ice agents
until they were at the
detention facility. And when
they arrived they tried to
explain to Ice that they were
born in Puerto Rico that
they're American citizens. And
00:32
it wasn't until after they
provided documentation of proof
that Ice agents apologize and
that they were eventually
released. According to the
Daily Beast Daryl Marine the
national president of the
Hispanic Advocacy Group Forward
Latino has confirmed that these
three individuals were detained
by Ice. More and more American
citizens are being caught up in
these mass deportation rates
True
🎯 Similar

Fact Check: Transcript 00:00 We have some news right now. Ice detained a toddler, a mother, and a grandmother. All United States American citizens just because they overheard them speaking Spanish. According to Telamundo, Puerto Rico, these three American citizens were taken into custody in Milwaukee, Wisconsin after Ice agents overheard them speaking Spanish. This included a toddler. A member of their family says that they were taken into custody while shopping at a local department store. And they didn't have a chance to speak with Ice agents until they were at the detention facility. And when they arrived they tried to explain to Ice that they were born in Puerto Rico that they're American citizens. And 00:32 it wasn't until after they provided documentation of proof that Ice agents apologize and that they were eventually released. According to the Daily Beast Daryl Marine the national president of the Hispanic Advocacy Group Forward Latino has confirmed that these three individuals were detained by Ice. More and more American citizens are being caught up in these mass deportation rates

Detailed fact-check analysis of: Transcript 00:00 We have some news right now. Ice detained a toddler, a mother, and a grandmother. All United States American citizens just because they overheard them speaking Spanish. According to Telamundo, Puerto Rico, these three American citizens were taken into custody in Milwaukee, Wisconsin after Ice agents overheard them speaking Spanish. This included a toddler. A member of their family says that they were taken into custody while shopping at a local department store. And they didn't have a chance to speak with Ice agents until they were at the detention facility. And when they arrived they tried to explain to Ice that they were born in Puerto Rico that they're American citizens. And 00:32 it wasn't until after they provided documentation of proof that Ice agents apologize and that they were eventually released. According to the Daily Beast Daryl Marine the national president of the Hispanic Advocacy Group Forward Latino has confirmed that these three individuals were detained by Ice. More and more American citizens are being caught up in these mass deportation rates

Jul 27, 2025
Read more →
🔍
Partially True
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Fact Check: Paul Krugman Paul Krugman We’re All Rats Now Time to take a stand, again, against racism Paul Krugman Jun 30, 2025 Zohran Mamdani’s upset victory in New York’s Democratic primary has created panic in MAGAland. Stephen Miller, the architect of Donald Trump’s deportation policies, waxed apocalyptic: Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary, declared that New York is about to turn into “Caracas on the Hudson.” And Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama basically declared New York’s voters subhuman, saying: These inner-city rats, they live off the federal government. And that’s one reason we’re $37 trillion in debt. And it’s time we find these rats and we send them back home, that are living off the American taxpayers that are working very hard every week to pay taxes. These reactions are vile, and they’re also dishonest. Whatever these men may claim, it’s all about bigotry. Miller isn’t concerned about the state of New York “society.” What bothers him is the idea of nonwhite people having political power. Bessent isn’t really deeply worried about Zamdani’s economic ideas. But he feels free, maybe even obliged, to slander a foreign-born Muslim with language he would never use about a white Christian politician, even if that politician were (like some of his colleagues in the Trump administration) a total crackpot. And while Tuberville stands out even within his caucus as an ignorant fool, his willingness to use dehumanizing language about millions of people shows that raw racism is rapidly becoming mainstream in American politics. Remember, during the campaign both Trump and JD Vance amplified the slanders about Haitians eating pets. And now that they’re in office, you can see the resurgence of raw racism all across Trump administration policies, large and small. You can see it, for example, in the cuts at the National Institutes of Health, which are so tilted against racial minorities that a federal judge — one appointed by Ronald Reagan! — declared I’ve never seen a record where racial discrimination was so palpable. I’ve sat on this bench now for 40 years. I’ve never seen government racial discrimination like this. You can see it in the renaming of military bases after Confederate generals — that is, traitors who fought for slavery. You can even see it in a change in the military’s shaving policy that is clearly custom-designed to drive Black men — who account for around a quarter of the Army’s new recruits — out of the service. So racism and bigotry are back, big time. Who’s safe? Nobody. Are you a legal immigrant? Well, the Supreme Court just allowed Trump to summarily strip half a million U.S. residents of that status, and only a fool would imagine that this is the end of the story. Anyway, when masked men who claim to be ICE agents but refuse to show identification are grabbing people off the streets because they think those people look illegal, does legal status even matter? Does it even matter if you’re a U.S. citizen? And the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is set to massively increase ICE’s funding — basically setting up a huge national secret police force. Now, maybe you imagine that you yourself won’t suffer from this new reign of bigotry and imagine that everyone you care about is similarly safe. But if that’s what you think, you’re likely to face a rude awakening. I personally don’t have any illusions of safety. Yes, I’m a native-born white citizen. But my wife and her family are Black, and some of my friends and relatives are foreign-born U.S. citizens. Furthermore, I’m Jewish, and anyone who knows their history realizes that whenever right-wing bigotry is on the ascendant, we’re always next in line. Are there really people out there naïve enough to believe MAGA’s claims to be against antisemitism, who can’t see the transparent cynicism and dishonesty? The fact is that the Trump administration already contains a number of figures with strong ties to antisemitic extremists. The Great Replacement Theory, which has de facto become part of MAGA’s ideology, doesn’t just say that there’s a conspiracy to replace whites with people of color; it says that it’s a Jewish conspiracy. So I’m definitely scared of what the many antisemites inside or with close ties to the Trump administration may eventually do. And no, I’m not frightened at all by the prospect that New York may soon have a somewhat leftist Muslim mayor. Anyway, my personal fears are beside the point. Everyone who cares about keeping America America needs to take a stand against the resurgence of bigotry. Because the truth is that we’re all rats now. MUSICAL CODA Discussion about this post Michael Roseman Jun 30 Edited For a while, American bigotry was ashamed of itself. Or pretended to be. Now it runs the government. Reply Share 106 replies Megan Rothery Jun 30 Edited Take a stand - Call. Write. Email. Protest. Unrelentingly. Use/share this spreadsheet as a resource to call/email/write members of Congress, the Cabinet and news organizations. Reach out to those in your own state, as well as those in others. Use your voice and make some “good trouble” ❤️‍🩹🤍💙 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13lYafj0P-6owAJcH-5_xcpcRvMUZI7rkBPW-Ma9e7hw/edit?usp=drivesdk Reply Share 31 replies 852 more comments... No posts Ready for more? © 2025 Paul Krugman Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice Start writing Get the app Substack is the home for great culture

Detailed fact-check analysis of: Paul Krugman Paul Krugman We’re All Rats Now Time to take a stand, again, against racism Paul Krugman Jun 30, 2025 Zohran Mamdani’s upset victory in New York’s Democratic primary has created panic in MAGAland. Stephen Miller, the architect of Donald Trump’s deportation policies, waxed apocalyptic: Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary, declared that New York is about to turn into “Caracas on the Hudson.” And Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama basically declared New York’s voters subhuman, saying: These inner-city rats, they live off the federal government. And that’s one reason we’re $37 trillion in debt. And it’s time we find these rats and we send them back home, that are living off the American taxpayers that are working very hard every week to pay taxes. These reactions are vile, and they’re also dishonest. Whatever these men may claim, it’s all about bigotry. Miller isn’t concerned about the state of New York “society.” What bothers him is the idea of nonwhite people having political power. Bessent isn’t really deeply worried about Zamdani’s economic ideas. But he feels free, maybe even obliged, to slander a foreign-born Muslim with language he would never use about a white Christian politician, even if that politician were (like some of his colleagues in the Trump administration) a total crackpot. And while Tuberville stands out even within his caucus as an ignorant fool, his willingness to use dehumanizing language about millions of people shows that raw racism is rapidly becoming mainstream in American politics. Remember, during the campaign both Trump and JD Vance amplified the slanders about Haitians eating pets. And now that they’re in office, you can see the resurgence of raw racism all across Trump administration policies, large and small. You can see it, for example, in the cuts at the National Institutes of Health, which are so tilted against racial minorities that a federal judge — one appointed by Ronald Reagan! — declared I’ve never seen a record where racial discrimination was so palpable. I’ve sat on this bench now for 40 years. I’ve never seen government racial discrimination like this. You can see it in the renaming of military bases after Confederate generals — that is, traitors who fought for slavery. You can even see it in a change in the military’s shaving policy that is clearly custom-designed to drive Black men — who account for around a quarter of the Army’s new recruits — out of the service. So racism and bigotry are back, big time. Who’s safe? Nobody. Are you a legal immigrant? Well, the Supreme Court just allowed Trump to summarily strip half a million U.S. residents of that status, and only a fool would imagine that this is the end of the story. Anyway, when masked men who claim to be ICE agents but refuse to show identification are grabbing people off the streets because they think those people look illegal, does legal status even matter? Does it even matter if you’re a U.S. citizen? And the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is set to massively increase ICE’s funding — basically setting up a huge national secret police force. Now, maybe you imagine that you yourself won’t suffer from this new reign of bigotry and imagine that everyone you care about is similarly safe. But if that’s what you think, you’re likely to face a rude awakening. I personally don’t have any illusions of safety. Yes, I’m a native-born white citizen. But my wife and her family are Black, and some of my friends and relatives are foreign-born U.S. citizens. Furthermore, I’m Jewish, and anyone who knows their history realizes that whenever right-wing bigotry is on the ascendant, we’re always next in line. Are there really people out there naïve enough to believe MAGA’s claims to be against antisemitism, who can’t see the transparent cynicism and dishonesty? The fact is that the Trump administration already contains a number of figures with strong ties to antisemitic extremists. The Great Replacement Theory, which has de facto become part of MAGA’s ideology, doesn’t just say that there’s a conspiracy to replace whites with people of color; it says that it’s a Jewish conspiracy. So I’m definitely scared of what the many antisemites inside or with close ties to the Trump administration may eventually do. And no, I’m not frightened at all by the prospect that New York may soon have a somewhat leftist Muslim mayor. Anyway, my personal fears are beside the point. Everyone who cares about keeping America America needs to take a stand against the resurgence of bigotry. Because the truth is that we’re all rats now. MUSICAL CODA Discussion about this post Michael Roseman Jun 30 Edited For a while, American bigotry was ashamed of itself. Or pretended to be. Now it runs the government. Reply Share 106 replies Megan Rothery Jun 30 Edited Take a stand - Call. Write. Email. Protest. Unrelentingly. Use/share this spreadsheet as a resource to call/email/write members of Congress, the Cabinet and news organizations. Reach out to those in your own state, as well as those in others. Use your voice and make some “good trouble” ❤️‍🩹🤍💙 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13lYafj0P-6owAJcH-5_xcpcRvMUZI7rkBPW-Ma9e7hw/edit?usp=drivesdk Reply Share 31 replies 852 more comments... No posts Ready for more? © 2025 Paul Krugman Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice Start writing Get the app Substack is the home for great culture

Jul 20, 2025
Read more →
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Fact Check: Deportations Under President Obama
Total Deportations
Barack Obama deported over 3 million individuals during his two terms from 2009 to 2017.
Annual Deportation Records
YEAR
NUMBER OF DEPORTATIONS
2013
438,421
2014
414.481
2009-2016
Over 3 million total
Summary Removals
Between 75% and 83% of those deported did not have the opportunity to plead their case in court, as many were removed through expedited processes
Comparison with Other Presidents
Obama holds the record for the most
Partially True

Fact Check: Deportations Under President Obama Total Deportations Barack Obama deported over 3 million individuals during his two terms from 2009 to 2017. Annual Deportation Records YEAR NUMBER OF DEPORTATIONS 2013 438,421 2014 414.481 2009-2016 Over 3 million total Summary Removals Between 75% and 83% of those deported did not have the opportunity to plead their case in court, as many were removed through expedited processes Comparison with Other Presidents Obama holds the record for the most

Detailed fact-check analysis of: Deportations Under President Obama Total Deportations Barack Obama deported over 3 million individuals during his two terms from 2009 to 2017. Annual Deportation Records YEAR NUMBER OF DEPORTATIONS 2013 438,421 2014 414.481 2009-2016 Over 3 million total Summary Removals Between 75% and 83% of those deported did not have the opportunity to plead their case in court, as many were removed through expedited processes Comparison with Other Presidents Obama holds the record for the most

Jul 31, 2025
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Fact Check: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that Indiana’s Camp Atterbury and New Jersey’s Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst will be used to house illegal immigrants before their deportation
True

Fact Check: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that Indiana’s Camp Atterbury and New Jersey’s Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst will be used to house illegal immigrants before their deportation

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