January 18, 2026
DHS Secretary Defends ICE Amid Reports Of U.S. Citizens Being Asked To Prove Citizenship
Kristi Noem claims agents are following long-standing protocol as protests grow in Minnesota and constitutional concerns intensify nationwide.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Jan. 15 defended Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents amid mounting reports that U.S. citizens are being stopped and asked to verify their citizenship during enforcement operations, including incidents in Minnesota that have fueled protests and legal concerns.
According to the Daily Beast, speaking with reporters outside the White House, Noem addressed questions following an ICE incident in Minneapolis, where tensions escalated after an officer shot a man in the leg during an encounter in which authorities say the man assaulted an agent. The episode has become a flashpoint as demonstrations spread across the state.
Asked why Americans were being required to prove citizenship—and whether citizens should carry documentation—Noem said the actions were part of targeted enforcement. “In every situation, we are doing targeted enforcement,” she said. “If we are on a target and doing an operation, there may be individuals surrounding that criminal that we may be asking who they are and why they’re there and validate their identity.”
She added, “That’s what we’ve always done in asking people who they are so that we know who’s in those surroundings.”
Noem said individuals who are found to be violating the law can be detained “until we’ve run that processing.” Her comments came as reports have emerged not only in Minnesota but across the country alleging that federal agents have detained U.S. citizens during immigration actions.
In one Minnesota incident, video circulated showing ICE agents forcefully detaining two employees at a Target store. One worker can be heard stating he was a U.S. citizen as agents pinned him to the ground near the store entrance. A state lawmaker later confirmed both employees were American citizens.
Pressed on whether such actions violate the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures and requires probable cause, Noem rejected the premise. “Every single action that our ICE officers take is according to the law and following protocols that we have used for years,” she said. “They are doing everything correctly.”
However, as reported by NBC Los Angeles, Ahilan Arulanantham, a professor and co-director of UCLA School of Law’s Center for Immigration Law and Policy, stated that this may not be the case.
Arulanantham stated U.S. citizens are legally required to provide proof of citizenship only in limited circumstances, such as when entering the country from abroad or when applying for specific jobs, where citizenship verification is mandated. Outside of those situations, he explained, citizens generally have no obligation to produce documentation.
Arulanantham continued to explain that if a law enforcement officer stops someone in public without reasonable suspicion that the person has committed a crime, that individual is not required to show identification.
The controversy coincided with President Donald Trump publicly threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy U.S. troops to Minnesota, a move he floated on Truth Social as unrest continued. Noem confirmed she discussed the option with the president. Invoking the act, she said, “was an option he had in the future,” emphasizing that the decision ultimately rests with Trump.
Civil liberties advocates argue the incidents raise serious constitutional questions, while the administration maintains agents are operating within the law. As protests continue, scrutiny of federal enforcement practices—and the balance between public safety and constitutional rights—shows no sign of easing.
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