Human Impact Project

Hector Cruz Sanchez, 19, was detained by ICE following a traffic stop in Christian County, Illinois while traveling to work with two other teenagers. Local police towed the vehicle and ICE agents subsequently picked up the teens. Cruz Sanchez was transferred to Ste. Genevieve County Jail in southeastern Missouri. Jonathan Godoy, 19, was detained by ICE following a traffic stop in Christian County, Illinois while traveling to work with two other teenagers. Local police towed the vehicle and ICE agents subsequently picked up the teens. Godoy was transferred to Ste. Genevieve County Jail in southeastern Missouri.

Yi-Han Liou, a Taiwanese national, was detained by ICE in New Hampshire after fleeing Taiwan on drug trafficking charges. She was accused of trafficking cocaine and marijuana from the United States and Canada to Taiwan by air freight, including shipping over 630 grams of cocaine hidden in candlesticks. She had overstayed her entry in the United States. Liou was deported to Taiwan on June 5, 2026.

Willian, the father of two U.S.-citizen children and son of a naturalized U.S. citizen, was detained by ICE while at work on Monday. He has active work authorization issued by the U.S. government and was actively pursuing his immigration case through the legal system. A federal judge subsequently ordered that he cannot be transferred or removed while his case is reviewed.

Ernesto Puac Son, a roofer and legal resident with a work permit and pending asylum case living in the United States for 18 years, was stopped by FDLE agents during an early-morning traffic stop in Stuart. Agents broke his van window, dragged him through broken glass, and pinned him to the ground despite him showing a valid Florida driver's license. He was charged with resisting arrest with violence and sentenced to one year in Martin County Jail.

Mohamed Fofana, a 22-year-old asylum seeker from Guinea employed at Upstate Medical University, was detained by ICE on November 11, 2025, and held at La Salle County Detention Facility in Texas. In February 2026, his attorney reported being unable to contact him for a month due to confusion over facility transfers, and an immigration judge granted a 45-day continuance to allow his attorney to rebuild contact and continue his asylum case. On June 8, 2026, a federal judge approved his habeas corpus petition, and Fofana was released from detention. He returned to Syracuse on June 9, 2026, to reunite with his family and community.

Jairo Isaias Alvarado-Lopez, 38, was booked into Shawnee County Department of Corrections on June 8, 2026, following a traffic-related arrest involving allegations of operating a motor vehicle without a valid license, speeding, and unlawful vehicle registration violations. An ICE detainer was placed on him, designated as "NO BOND." He is scheduled to appear in court on July 15, 2026.

Dy Nguyen, a Vietnamese refugee who lived in the United States for 27 years, was detained by ICE for almost 8 months beginning in October 2025 before being deported to Vietnam. During his detention at Stewart Detention Center in Atlanta, his newborn son was born, whom he never physically held. His attorney at the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund pursued legal action for his release, but the case was delayed for over six months. Nguyen was shackled for 35 hours during flights and spent an additional 30 hours on buses traveling through Vietnam after deportation, separated from his family of five and his church community.

Sami Hamdi, a 35-year-old British political journalist and commentator, was detained by ICE at San Francisco International Airport on October 27, 2025, after his visitor visa was revoked on October 24 without prior notice. U.S. officials cited comments he made about the Middle East, Gaza, and Israel during a speaking tour—including an address at a CAIR gala in Sacramento on October 26—as the reason for the visa revocation and detention. Held in an ICE facility with approximately 90 other detainees, Hamdi received minimal contact with his family and was initially denied medical care when he became ill. After approximately two weeks in custody, federal judges found serious breaches of freedom of speech and ordered his release without charge. His wife subsequently warned British citizens, particularly those planning to attend the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., about the risks of traveling to the country under expanded ICE enforcement operations.

Iraqi national team striker Aymen Hussein was detained and questioned for nearly seven hours by U.S. authorities upon arrival at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. During his detention, U.S. border security officials inspected his mobile phone and reviewed his documents. Hussein was eventually cleared and allowed entry to rejoin his team. However, Talal Salah, the Iraqi team's official photographer, was held for over 10 hours and ultimately denied entry to the United States.

Enrique Martínez Chávez, a 32-year-old former Mexican military officer, was detained by ICE in Hawthorne, California on June 4, 2026, during an immigration enforcement operation. Martínez Chávez is wanted in Mexico for enforced disappearance in connection with the 2014 disappearance of 43 student teachers from Ayotzinapa, Guerrero. Mexican authorities have an active arrest warrant against him for forced disappearance charges. He is being held at a processing center in Adelanto, California, pending immigration proceedings and potential extradition to Mexico. Mexican President Sheinbaum clarified that he was arrested during a routine ICE immigration enforcement operation rather than a specific operation targeting him for the Ayotzinapa case.

Diego Armando Gonzalez-Rosales, a kitchen manager at Zipps Sports Grill, was sentenced to five months in prison after pleading guilty to providing fraudulent identification documents to undocumented employees. He entered the country illegally in 2006 and used fake identification himself to obtain employment. Following his sentence, he faces potential deportation upon release from prison.

On June 3-4, 2026, ICE and state law enforcement conducted a coordinated raid at Burnstein Von Seelen Precision Casting in Abbeville County, South Carolina, as part of a two-year investigation called 'Operation Ghost Story' that began in fall 2024. The operation detained 48 workers, primarily from Mexico and Guatemala, on immigration violations. Two plant managers, Christopher Douglas Ramey and Sandy Lynn Willis, were arrested on state charges including criminal conspiracy, identity fraud, and forgery for facilitating the use of forged identification documents, stolen Social Security numbers, and driver's licenses. A state grand jury indicted six defendants total in connection with the scheme. None of the 48 detained workers were criminally charged. At least one detainee who was eight months pregnant was released but faces deportation proceedings and must wear an ankle monitor, while others remained in custody.

Andrea Pedro-Francisco, a 23-year-old Guatemalan asylum seeker, was detained by ICE on February 5, 2026, during an enforcement operation in the Minneapolis area while driving her mother and siblings to work. She was transferred to Camp East Montana, a tent detention facility near El Paso, Texas, where she was held for nearly four months. Despite having a scheduled surgery before her arrest and nine independent physicians concluding that surgery to remove a golf-ball-sized ovarian cyst was medically necessary to prevent serious complications including infertility and potential death, ICE repeatedly denied approval for the procedure and provided only over-the-counter pain relief instead. Following legal motions, advocacy by U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, U.S. Senator Tina Smith's intervention with DHS, and sustained efforts by lawyers, legislators, and organizers, Pedro-Francisco was released in early June 2026 with GPS monitoring and her case transferred back to Minnesota for a July hearing.

ICE agents conducted a targeted enforcement operation outside a Danbury, Connecticut courthouse on June 4, 2026, detaining at least six people. Local law enforcement and officials, including the police chief and mayor's office, received no advance notice of the operation. DHS stated those arrested faced criminal charges including sexual assault of a minor, child abuse, kidnapping, and assault on police officers, though specific names and detailed charges were not provided. The raid sparked protests and condemnation from Connecticut Democratic officials, who criticized the use of armed and masked agents in the enforcement action.

Christian Espinosa-Sarango, 33, an Ecuadorian national, was arrested by ICE on February 13 after being released on bond by North Haven police. Espinosa-Sarango had been arrested in December as part of a child sexual exploitation sting and charged with enticing a minor and attempted sexual assault. ICE had lodged a detainer, but Connecticut's Trust Act prevented local police from holding him without a judicial warrant. During his ICE arrest, he allegedly resisted and attempted to flee, leading officers to break his vehicle window.

Mamuka Artmeladze, a 43-year-old from Georgia, died on June 4, 2026, at Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield, Louisiana after being found unresponsive in his cell. He was transported to Winn Parish Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead approximately one hour later despite resuscitation efforts. Artmeladze had been detained by ICE since February 2026 following an enforcement operation targeting commercial vehicle drivers. His death was the second at the facility in less than two months—following Alejandro Cabrera Clemente's death on April 11—and the 19th in ICE custody in 2026. A recent Department of Homeland Security inspection documented multiple violations at Winn Correctional Center, including insanitary conditions, inadequate medical care, and use-of-force policy violations such as an officer using a banned chokehold and another stabbing a detainee's thumb with a pen.

Emanuel Rodrigues, a Brazilian man with a rare life-threatening condition restricting his mobility, was held in solitary confinement for five months at Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey. During his detention, Rodrigues became seriously ill and unable to walk after a fall that he says occurred when a guard prevented him from using crutches. His wife was unable to visit the facility. He was released on June 4, 2026, following advocacy from Rep. Rob Menendez's office, with assistance from a journalist.

Lucas Gustavo Brajak De Almeida Di Benedetto, 41, a Brazilian-born chef, drove the wrong way on Route 1 early Sunday morning and collided head-on with a Massachusetts State Police cruiser. He told authorities he had consumed two beers before the crash and was unfamiliar with the interchange. After posting bail, he appeared at Peabody District Court on June 3, 2026, for his arraignment on charges of operating under the influence, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and driving the wrong way. ICE agents arrested him outside the courthouse, taking him into custody for visa overstay—he had entered the U.S. nearly 20 years ago but was authorized to stay only three months and remained in the country illegally. He was held pending removal proceedings.

Luis, a roofer with no criminal record, was arrested during an ICE raid in Arkansas while working. He was transferred through multiple facilities—a local jail, a Texas prison, and ultimately the Torrance County Detention Facility in New Mexico—where he has been held for over a year without criminal charges and with limited legal assistance or clarity on his status.

An unnamed mother was detained by ICE officers on the morning of June 3, 2026, while dropping her child off at Scarlett Middle School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. As of June 6, the school community had raised nearly $5,000 in support. ICE issued no public comment on the arrest.

Mohammad "Daniel" Hussain Ahmadi, a former Afghan army intelligence officer and member of the Hazara ethnic minority, was paroled into the U.S. in May 2024 and complied with all immigration conditions for nearly two years. On March 2, 2026, he was detained by ICE after appearing for a routine immigration check-in, with the government claiming his original parole was an error. On June 3, 2026, Chief Judge Peter Welte granted Ahmadi's habeas corpus petition, finding the detention violated his Fifth Amendment due process rights and ordering his release unless an immigration court granted him a bond hearing within one week.

ICE apprehended Marcos Delacruz, a Salvadoran national, in Newark based on a removal order issued by a federal immigration judge in 1997. Delacruz had remained in the United States for nearly three decades despite the active order. The case illustrates ICE's renewed focus under current administration policies on executing long-standing removal orders from the immigration court backlog.

ICE agents arrested Luis Alberto Revuelta Torres, a Mexican national, outside his home in San Jose on June 2, 2026, based on a Form I-200 warrant issued three weeks earlier. Torres had lived in the U.S. for approximately 26 years without prior immigration encounters and was placed in removal proceedings. The court granted a partial temporary restraining order requiring a bond hearing within 14 days and prohibiting his transfer or removal from the country pending proceedings.

Boanerges Flores-Bravo, a Nicaraguan national and constituent of Missouri Rep. Wesley Bell, was detained during a scheduled immigration hearing and transferred from St. Genevieve Detention Center in Missouri to Richwood Correctional Center in Monroe, Louisiana. He entered the U.S. in 2022 seeking asylum with his wife and 8-year-old daughter. Rep. Bell visited the facility and secured a privacy form to assist with Flores-Bravo's case.

ICE agents detained a man in Albany Park on Tuesday morning, using a Taser on him while he was already handcuffed on the ground. During the arrest, a black Nissan SUV believed to be driven by an agent hit a woman's sedan stuck in traffic; the SUV driver fled the scene. Witnesses reported the agents chased and arrested the shirtless man near the intersection of Kedzie and Lawrence avenues.

Alexander Jose Regnault-Avila and his 4-year-old daughter Alexandra were detained by ICE agents on Friday, May 31, 2026, in Albany while walking to the girl's pre-school. The family had entered the U.S. without authorization in 2023, and an immigration judge ordered their removal in 2024. The pair were held for 4 days and deported to Venezuela on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, just days before Alexandra's pre-K graduation. Regnault-Avila's partner and 1-year-old daughter remain in the United States. The detention sparked protests in Malta and Albany and is being cited in advocacy for the Access to Representation Act, which would provide free immigration attorneys to immigrant residents in New York.

On June 10, 2025, ICE conducted a workplace enforcement operation at Glenn Valley Foods meatpacking plant in Omaha, Nebraska, detaining 76 employees as part of a three-month investigation into identity theft. Workers were accused of using stolen Social Security numbers from over 100 U.S. citizens to gain employment. Luis Mejia's mother was among those detained while Mejia, then 19, was released to support the separated family. Of those arrested, approximately 17 were deported immediately, 25 were released on bond, and 25 were transferred to other facilities. Most detainees remained in immigration court proceedings months later.

Ederson Galicia Alva, 11, was separated from his mother at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2018 under Trump's first-term family separation policy. After legal intervention, the family reunited and rebuilt their life in Florida. In June 2025, federal agents arrested his mother Mirsy Maricela Alva López during an immigration enforcement action, and she was deported to Guatemala while Ederson and his sister remained in the U.S. or were placed in Guatemala. After approximately 11 months, a federal judge ordered the family's return to Florida. An Associated Press investigation found that dozens of children covered by the Ms. L v. ICE settlement—a 2018 agreement meant to prevent family separations and protect over 11,800 family members—have been re-separated from their families during the second Trump administration despite legal protections.

Leo Argoti Rubio, a pastry chef at Fauborg restaurant in Montclair, New Jersey, was detained by ICE on June 1, 2026 while entering a shopping center in Buffalo, New York. He had a valid work visa, a pending asylum case, a Social Security number, and a clean record. His community, including the organization Latinos of Montclair, launched a legal defense fund to support his bond costs, court fees, and emergency expenses while his asylum case proceeds.

Elvira Benitez Suarez, a 51-year-old from Sheboygan Falls who emigrated from Mexico as a teenager, was detained by ICE after accidentally crossing into Canada during a family road trip in July 2025 and reentering the U.S. A federal judge ruled her eligible for a green card in fall 2025, but she was arrested again during a check-in at the Milwaukee DHS office in March 2026 while the agency appealed. A 6th Circuit appeals court ruling on mandatory detention allowed her to file for bond, which was granted at $1,500 on May 21, 2026. She was released and checked in at the Milwaukee DHS office on June 1, 2026, with continued check-ins required as a bond condition while the Board of Immigration Appeals considers DHS's appeal.

Nuvia Ventura Martinez was detained after an ICE check-in appointment at 26 Federal Plaza and held in a makeshift detention facility with inadequate conditions. She lacked access to her diabetes medicine, and reported that women who were menstruating were bleeding through their clothes and food was nearly non-existent. She described being treated as "just a body that they crammed into a room."

Eri was detained by ICE and is being held at T. Don Hutto Detention Center. His sister Andrea, an active-duty U.S. Army soldier, organized a fundraiser to pay for immigration legal representation and secure his release so he can fight his case at home with family rather than remain detained.

ICE conducted operations in Bluffton, South Carolina that resulted in the detention of over a dozen individuals. Witness footage showed nearly 20 men being escorted into a detention van. According to immigration attorney Amy Deverard, those arrested were not criminals but were detained on administrative warrants, with many caught as collateral while authorities pursued others. Families report uncertainty about their detained relatives' locations and immigration proceedings.

Jose Ortega, a 38-year-old bank employee and father figure to his stepdaughter, was recently detained by ICE and is being held in custody pending court proceedings. His spouse, Don Williams, launched a fundraiser to cover legal expenses, attorney fees, and bond costs to fight for his release and bring him home to his family in Phoenix, Arizona.

ICE detained six individuals in the Rogue Valley region of Southern Oregon between May 19 and May 29, 2026, marking a significant escalation in enforcement activity—the first notable surge since July 2025. Detentions occurred in public places including outside Jackson County Circuit Court, near parks, at workplaces, and during traffic stops. Community volunteers with Rogue Valley Migra Watch documented the incidents and tracked ICE vehicle sightings in the area.

The ACLU, civil rights organizations, and individual detainees filed a federal lawsuit against ICE and DHS challenging conditions at Camp East Montana, the largest immigration detention center in the U.S., located at Fort Bliss military base in El Paso, Texas. The complaint alleges physical abuse by guards, inadequate medical care, solitary confinement, disease exposure including a measles outbreak, and nearly 50 violations of detention standards. At least three detainees have died since the facility opened nine months prior, including a Cuban immigrant ruled to have died from asphyxia due to neck and torso compression. Named plaintiffs Navdeep, a former mail handler, and ZOR, a father detained over eight months, detailed specific conditions including contaminated water, inadequate drinking water access, breathing problems from desert dust, lack of medical care, and family separation.

ICE agents conducted an enforcement action in Santa Paula, California, where they removed a man from his truck in a parking lot and tasered him while he was on his way to work. According to community witnesses, agents pinned the man down as he screamed in pain, refused to provide formal identification, and threatened to mace neighbors who were documenting the incident.

Starting May 25, 2026, hundreds of protesters gathered outside Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, to support detainees staging a hunger strike over poor living conditions. Clashes escalated over several days as ICE agents and New Jersey State Police deployed pepper spray, gas canisters, batons, and horses against demonstrators who linked arms in human chains and used makeshift shields. Senator Andy Kim was exposed to pepper spray during the protests. A U.S. military veteran providing medical assistance was detained, and an ICE agent supervisor was filmed pushing a photographer off a public sidewalk. At least 60 people were arrested, with some charged with rioting after authorities imposed a curfew; Congresswoman LaMonica McIver was later charged with assaulting officers. Mayor Ras Baraka announced plans to shut down the facility and criticized police tactics.

Approximately 300 immigrants detained at Delaney Hall, a privately operated ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey, launched a hunger and labor strike beginning May 25, 2026, to protest conditions including spoiled and expired food, inadequate medical care, overcrowding, filthy bathrooms, lack of hot water, and denial of medical treatment. Detainee Elder Guerra, a Guatemalan immigrant, suffered a head injury after slipping in the shower and was placed in isolation rather than receiving proper treatment. Martin Soto, arrested by ICE four months earlier while buying diapers, remained detained despite a judge blocking his removal from the facility. Detainees reported retaliation by facility staff, including beatings, solitary confinement for strikers, and confiscation of personal items. The facility, operated by Community Education Centers, faced scrutiny for a pattern of medical neglect and rights violations.

Miguel was arrested by masked, unidentified ICE agents in front of his home after a grocery store trip. He has been detained over 1,000 miles away from his family and has not been seen since. His wife Beatriz is caring for their four children (ages 7 months, 8, 9, and 15) while fighting for his release and managing steep legal costs. Miguel is experiencing emotional trauma, fear of deportation, and respiratory illness from detention conditions.

ZOR, detained for eight months at Camp East Montana, had three teeth broken after being beaten by another detainee while guards watched. Four days after arrival, officers shackled and drove him to the Mexican border, falsely claiming he had been granted asylum, without showing papers or allowing attorney contact. Officers attempted to deport him approximately five times despite a court order prohibiting removal to his country of birth.

Navdeep, a detainee with preexisting injuries that prevent him from putting his hands behind his back, was locked in solitary confinement for appearing to refuse guard orders to do so. He described feeling like a political pawn taken from his job and family and forced into unsafe tent conditions. He is one of four named plaintiffs in the ACLU lawsuit against ICE over Camp East Montana conditions.

ICE officers conducted raids at Don Patron Mexican Grill locations across West Virginia on May 30, 2026, detaining multiple workers. The enforcement action affected at least three locations in Elkins, Weston, and Bridgeport, with a fourth location in Buckhannon also closing as a result. The Elkins location closed the day after the raid.

Nilson Prieto was detained by ICE on November 17, 2025, during his annual check-in appointment. He has been held in three different detention centers in Texas for over six months. His bond request was denied, and his case is currently under appeal with a pending habeas corpus petition. His family has exhausted their resources and is seeking funds for legal fees and basic household expenses.

Gerald Akari Angye, a 35-year-old former high school teacher from Cameroon who fled after experiencing kidnapping and torture, crossed into the U.S. in December 2024 and sought asylum. After his asylum claim was denied, he was detained at Camp East Montana ICE detention center at Fort Bliss military base in El Paso for over a month. While detained, Angye was severely beaten by guards after requesting to speak with an attorney before signing documents, suffering injuries to his hands and wrists that required a brace and hospitalization. He was subsequently placed in solitary confinement for 15 days. The ACLU of Texas and partner civil rights organizations filed a federal class-action lawsuit against ICE on behalf of Angye and three other named plaintiffs, challenging severe conditions at the facility including violent use of force, medical neglect, disease outbreaks, excessive solitary confinement, and inhumane living conditions.

Chanh Phansisay, a Laotian refugee who arrived as a baby, received an ICE letter around the same time as his uncle Ky Sengdara in March 2026. With legal assistance from the Seattle Clemency Project, Phansisay avoided deportation to Laos, a country he has never known and where he has no meaningful family connections.

Authorities raided a seafood restaurant on Northwest 23rd Street in Oklahoma City, seizing methamphetamine, ketamine, ecstasy, and a firearm. Sixteen individuals were taken into ICE custody during the operation, which is part of a larger investigation into organized crime involving drug trafficking, money laundering, and potential human trafficking related to black market marijuana farms.

Hilary Murungi Timbigamba, a 34-year-old asylum seeker from Uganda, was arrested on larceny charges in Massachusetts in July 2025 while employed at a group home. He was taken into federal custody as he left the courthouse despite being granted pretrial release. Federal Judge Landya McCafferty ruled that his 10-month detention in ICE custody violated his constitutional right to due process because he was deprived of the opportunity to address criminal charges and the evidence presented at his immigration bond hearing was legally insufficient. He was released within 24 hours of the court order.

José Yugar-Cruz, a 37-year-old Bolivian asylum-seeker, was granted temporary release from ICE custody on May 29, 2026, after an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo suspended deportations to that country. An immigration judge had ruled in January 2025 that Yugar-Cruz faced likely torture if returned to Bolivia and granted him withholding-of-removal relief under the Convention Against Torture, yet ICE detained him at an April 2026 check-in appointment and attempted to deport him to the DRC despite his court protection and lack of connection to that country. After being held for 17 months while ICE sought third countries willing to accept his deportation—including Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Mexico, and Canada—Yugar-Cruz challenged his indefinite detention in court in December 2025. The WHO declaration of an Ebola emergency in Congo on May 17, 2026, forced suspension of deportations to that destination, resulting in his temporary release following legal challenges and community advocacy.

On May 29, 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted a coordinated operation at Myrtle Park Government Center in Bluffton, South Carolina, detaining over 15 people who had failed to comply with deportation orders. The operation involved ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations division, the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, which participated under a 287(g) task force agreement. Detainees were loaded onto a bus for transport to facilities in Charleston or Georgia.