(NewsNation) — The Department of Homeland Security insists its officers' top target remains the "worst of the worst" in a nationwide immigration and crime crackdown, but American citizens are increasingly the ones being taken into federal custody.

House Judiciary Committee ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., co-authored a letter with fellow Democrat and Washington U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapayl questioning top immigration officials about the growing number of U.S. citizens being detained by federal officers and agents.

The letter, sent to DHS Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, asked why Americans are continually being detained illegally. In the letter, Raskin and Jayapayl accuse federal law enforcement of terrorizing American communities.

The letter was

See Full Page