Detained
U.S. Naturalization Test (2025 Standard) glossary · English
Definition
Held or stopped by law enforcement.
Detained in plain English
To be detained means law enforcement holds or stops you so that you're not free to walk away — like being kept in a room at the airport or held at a police station. It does not automatically mean you were charged with a crime or found guilty; it simply means you were held for some period. The N-400 asks about this because the officer wants an honest, complete picture of your past. If it happened, just say so — being detained by itself is often not a problem, but hiding it can be.
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